Good for watching the sun finally break through impressive cloud banks.
https://contagiousyawnsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/dream-of-consciousness
and/or
—Jacob An Kittenplan
*an early Broadcast compilation
Showing posts with label Specious Arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Specious Arts. Show all posts
CONTAGIOUS YAWNS “Dream of Consciousness” C39 (Specious Arts)
AALBERS “F” C30 (Specious Arts)
Barcelona’s Aalbers have done this before. See, back in November 2018,
the trio worked up a routine for musical accompaniment at a contemporary dance
event – well, “worked up a routine” in that they did that on the spot, considering
the “routine” was actually improvised. But sometimes the best things in life
are left to chance, and the result was apparently such a success that Aalbers
figured they had no choice but to come back to it. And so they did, here, on F.
These new recordings are reimaginings, if you will, of the original
improvisations, because, c’mon: you can’t improv two of the same thing! The
second thing wouldn’t be improv anymore. What you can do is take the idea – the
spirit – of the original and try to
recreate it with similar effect or success. And since I haven’t heard the
original improvisations for the event (thanks a LOT, universe), I have nothing
to compare them to. What I can do is
rate them against my own personal taste, and that’s the direction I’m heading
in right now.
I won’t drag this out – F is
really good. Consisting of three tracks – “efe,” “efeefe,” and “efeefeefe,”
according to Bandcamp (no track names on the J-card) – F takes a minimal approach like Fripp and Eno, or Harmonia & Eno 76 (scaled even
further back), or, uh, Eno. Utilizing guitar, modular synthesizer, computer,
sampler, and contact mic, the trio brews up some post-kraut ambience, a
delicate, precise soundtrack that splits the difference between synthetic
production and tactile playing. I have no idea what kind of dance Aalbers was
backing, but I imagine it was “interpretive.” It certainly wasn’t the
Charleston.
LIFE EDUCATION
“Guru Overlord” C49 (Specious Arts)
Patrick R. Pärk’s output is, to say the least, prooooooo-lific, with various projects focusing on niche sub-genres of hypnotizing electronic music; Life Education being his one dedicated to the power of the loop and its versatility in ranging from cheery to eerie, dance-y to trance-y. With “Guru Overlord”, he has set those loops in the (relative) backseat in favor of letting heavily processed electric guitar riffage and drone lead the way to cosmic zone-outs and tribal blissings. The tones linger far longer on the darker side, flirting with industrialism and detachment, while the rhythms are busier-to-the-point-of-ambient. At the end of the day, GO makes for gripping meditation or art-making fuel for the ears, with and without headphones, loud or quiet.
and/or
--Jacob An Kittenplan
AALBERS
“F” C30
(Specious Arts)
On “F”, Barcelona’s mesmerizing ambient trio, “Aalbers”, doesn’t create a mellow “groove" so much as a playful ambiance, any sudden movement the listener might make in reaction to their sounds likely taking the form of a jerking torso away from Sandman’s embrace. The names of the game here are Subtlety, Nuance, Space, & Chill. Through heavily processed electric guitar, modular synth, & a detail-keen computer program, Aalbers paints a spacious (mural-sized) portrait of serene, minimalist textures and shimmering radiations that flow calming and concentric towards the listener’s antennae. Sounds like a shade-parked hammock swaying just perceptibly by intermittent gentle breeze & nearby butterfly flirtations. Consonant. Blissful. Beautiful.
and/or
— Jacob An Kittenplan
SCOTT THOROUGH “Bird” C37 (Specious Arts)
You didn’t see rap producer Scott Thorough
coming. That is, actually, you didn’t see “Bird” by rap producer Scott Thorough
coming, because how could you? How could you expect this from a man who has
worked with artists such as Serengeti, Samson, Cavalier, and Junk Science? This
is not a beat tape. This is something else.
Scott Thorough is also a film composer, and
that’s … aha, I see your eyes lighting up! You’re getting it. That’s where
“Bird” comes in, an at-times playful, at-times tense, at-times drifting journey
through Scott Thorough’s mind. “Bird” drums up all kinds of visuals as it winds
through its sixteen tracks, each one patiently settling on a scene and letting
it play out. Gentle piano tunes rub up against wind chimes, harmoniums and
distorted rhythms collide, feedback makes its presence felt within an ancient
Caretaker-esque sample, and tranquil drones intermingle with their dissonant
counterparts.
What’s great is that each track is different,
each scene defines itself, but the flow from one to the next is seamless and
natural. “Bird” may not conjure avian flight in your mind, necessarily, but
perhaps the tranquility with which it observes human behavior far below it is
its secret. Everything looks a lot slower and more deliberate from afar, much
more static and permanent. “Bird” ruminates on that, and draws you ever closer
to its heart.
I mean, Scott, you can keep producing rappers,
but be sure to keep this going too.
--Ryan
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