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►Massimo
Aiello : Tribute To Beethoven: Drum in The Symphony no. 9 (Azurra
Music - 2003)
- Massimo
Aiello gives a percussionist's salute to the classical master Beethoven;
if you've ever felt that "plain old" symphonic arrangements
could stand to be pepped up by a little more drumplay, then perhaps
this'll spark your interest. The drummy additions are subtly introduced
during 1° Movement, as traditional kettle drums are augmented
by light inclusions of snares, cymbals, etc.; the new beats are tastefully
applied, rather than stomping all over the production. Massimo's kit
takes a pounding during the more rousing passages of 2° Movement,
then receding in the lighter movements. Even
I recognize Ode To Joy though was startled by the frog-warbling
male opera voice. Of course, not being too "into" classical,
I'm neither overwhelmed by the augmentation nor outraged by the desecration...
but a B- to Massimo for following
his rhythmic muse.
- Ocosi:
here and loathing (economyrecord$
- 2002)
- If it's
on Manifold's economyrecord$
imprint, expect dark drumminess... as further evidenced by paul molyneux's
blend of heavy murk 'n' heavier rhythms, as led by the deep, pulsating
(and hit-splattered) ooze of <->. Scritchy little CARRIER
(0:48) spews rustling particles into a spacey void, which precedes the
thump-a-thon of INSEX (6:28), almost jazzy in its downbeat delivery
(well, except for all that hovering glare). With little or no variation
in their attack, slowly rocking rhythms impale the woozy mists of
BEGOTTEN.
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- Pleasantly
disorienting sheets of irradiated sizzle waft back and forth above the
steady rat-a-tat of OWN WAY; oblique as hell, yet seductive.
Distant radio-voices inhabit the cloudswirl which is pummeled by the
lively percussive strikes of [-_=]. Sludgy-yet-energized, the
10 tracks of here and loathing combine unknowable
backdrops with not-overly-assaultive rhythm loops... cool stuff. B+
- Oöphoi:
The dreams of shells (Mystery
Sea - 2003)
- Ever
wonder what those slowly-evolving shells (yeah, you know, "the
hard calcareous or chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans,
and some other invertebrates; or by extension, any mollusks having such
a covering" — courtesy of hyperDictionary.com)
are envisioning during their glacially-paced formation? Me either...
but Gianluigi Gasparetti (as Oöphoi) apparently has...
resulting in 68.5 minutes of shifting subaquatic dronescenes. A foggy
rumbling engulfs cydron (18:53) with cloudy, lightly throbbing
mystery; even this "short" track takes the longform approach
to totally immersive environmentalism, simply boiling gaseously with
only teasing hints of musicality.
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- After
a moment's silence between, kalyx surfaces on a billowing spread
of cumulus activities, this time emitting palpable waves of brassy resonance
which lazily meander from the denser core; later, muted sparkles (seem
to?) glimmer along unseen passagesways. Steamy phantasmal waves simply
ooze all around karwal (28:50) with sibilant highs and creepy
wavering lows; metallic swells sometimes emerge to arc across the fluid
horizon like distant cries of steel. The piece sprawls in oddly glowing
wonder, as far as the ear can see. Only 100 cd-r copies; so hurry to
Mystery
Sea
for superb organic soundscapes. A-
- Dean
Roberts: Be Mine Tonight (Kranky
- 2003)
- Lo-fi-yet-emotive
works from guitarist Dean Roberts and friends... From a thrumming
mass of electric ambiguity arises the melancholy scatterings of piano,
bass, guitar and barely-whispered words that is all pidgins sent
to war, palace of adenaline v and e.e. ; from its murky beginnings,
it gradually coalesces into something more song-like, yet never becoming
too overt. After the nine-minute mark, a break occurs (though it's one19:15
track) and I assume this is where disappearance on the grandest of
streets begins... reflective solo guitar rings out slowly, to be
eventually joined by murmury vocals and other faint accompaniment amid
rivulets of haze... decidedly downcast, but lovely.
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- Another
sedate(d?) interlude, smash the palace and what nerves you got
(5:07) culminates in the narcotic interplay between various slow-motion
guitar strings. Ten-minute-plus letter to monday slowly awakes
from randomish strums and intonations... its lethargic pace will confound
some, but draw others (like me) into its hypnotic vortex. In its unhurried
fashion, this closing number becomes more-defined and sprawls into a
dreamlike fogbank jam session. Thirty-five minutes of cross-genre folkrocktronic
meandering... quite nice! A-
- Tolmon:
Igneous Flame (Chillfactor10
records - 2003)
- Like
an artfully smeared canvas for your ears, abstract scenes are drawn
into long, generally lush streaks of varying sonic hues. The UK's Pete
Kelly (under the pseudonym of Tolmon) sets alight the ephemeral
glow of Igneous
Flame.
A rippling stew of vaporous tonelayers, Arca gradually smooths
out, though occasionally emits disjointed shards before fading into
nothingness, from which arises Upsalla (2:39) and its more-evenly-contoured
streams of reverant-seeming gauze. Radiant ribbons unfurl from Dissolved
(10:29) then hover in an undulating balance "somewhere" more
"up" than "down" (by my ear-judgement). Luxuriant
sheens flow prettily from Wilton followed by the gustier blurs
of Stellar.
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- The steaming
expanses of Subpolarity seethe in longform breezes, perhaps revealing
underlying tones. A little Nacht music unfurls on glistening
filaments which freeflow in slow-motion, not-quite-flatlined currents;
subsequent Aurora wavers against a voidspace with deep electro-orchestral
swaying. The 66-minute disc closes with the final ephemeral flourish
of Angelica. Don't let Chillfactor10's
name mislead; the "chill" here is of an entirely beatless
variety, no downtempo grooves... just simple floatation zones. Rather
samey overall, but if you're looking for more than an hour of weightless
listening, try these mostly-serene drones. B
- TriPod:
Tripod (moonjune
records - 2003)
- The three-pronged
prog/rock attack of Tripod is delivered in its uniquely sans-guitars/keyboards
line-up, as manned by Steve Romano (acoustic/electronic percussion)
, Keith Gurland (sax, flute, clarinet, pedals, vocals) and Clint
Bahr (12-string bass, lead vocals). The show opens on Jerome's
Spotlight featuring quick'n'twisty outpourings of instruments, and
even quicker, twistier vocals! Sultry stepper Trip the Light
swaggers with earned arrogance. Gentle
pastoral winds wash over brief Prelude just before No Diamond
Cries kicks in with grand intensity.
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- Another
shorty, East Flatbush thumps with spastic e-percussion, followed
immediately (and with immediacy!) by the warping, weaving Buzz.
In
a smokily brooding haze, Smoke & Mirrors reveals the trio's
mellower moments (or would they be in the spooky mists of Ghosts?)
I prefer these more-atmospheric times to the jazzesque freakouts, like
in live-improv Fuzz which sashays sassily and adeptly... just
not so much my thing. Sharp production and playful skillfullness get
a B anyway.
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These
overviews posted 12.13.03
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-
AmbiEntrance
© 2003-1997 by
David J Opdyke (except
CD cover art, rights retained by original owners).
|
AMBIENTRANCE
- Charleston-IL
- U.S.A. (www.ambientrance.org)
