Where There Was Nothing adeptly pursues a loop
or a sound through minute variations – it’s
a hushed aesthetic that houses some surprisingly sensual,
rousing revelations. Many works begin as bare, unadorned
click pieces; dark and solitary, they explore a sole
timbre and harvest a wealth of pitches through various
panning and delay techniques. Gradually, however, airy
bell-like tones permeate the air and more abrasive edges
carry pieces on with a rigorous momentum that is not
without a certain seductive charm.
The music lacks conceptual ingenuity, but at the same
time, is never vacuous. On the contrary, many compositions
strive for more elaborate contours, rhythms, and harmonic
structures. Compositions such as Sleepytime
and Kleine present a wide dynamic range from
a relatively limited sound-palette, bringing into them
enough dramatic tensions - namely, between calm, dark
pulses and crisp percussion programming - to reward
repeated listening. Still, the dubby basslines, rubber-textured
beats, and tidal sweeps of sound sometimes lurch over
into passages that are a trifle redundant. When this
happens, works like McDowall Imprecision turn
to textural mush, becoming too rich and sweet, and leaving
distressed arpeggios to wander aimlessly in a cloud
of amorphous structure. Happy Numbers brings
some welcome tangy dissonance to the fore, strafing
the elasticized beats and subtle, unobtrusive delicacy
of the billowing textures with the hiss of overcharged
circuits. In light of this piece, though, others appear
as plodding and somewhat lackluster. The energetic,
surprisingly warm and melodic electronic squiggles and
rhythmic squeaks propel the listener anxiously into
the next cluster of tracks, but there works fail to
make any further headway, and songs like the aforementioned
Happy Numbers establish a momentum that cannot
be sustained.
Max Schaefer
3/5 |
