Although Greg Davis first made his name with delicate
collections of electronic/acoustic hybrid compositions,
most prominently collected on Arbor
and Curling Pond Woods,
his more recent offerings have been far more austere
and difficult. The release of a series of drone-based
tracks on Somnia
(Kranky) earlier this year, shortly followed by Yearlong,
based on live recordings made with Keith
Fullerton Whitman between 2003 and 2004 in a variety
of places around the world, have revealed a far wider
musical scope and a thirst for uncompromising sound/noise
exploration.
Although not as well known, drummer and percussionist
Steven Hess has appeared on many records by the likes
of Pan American, Bosco & Jorge or with the Dropp
Ensemble, and has also collaborated with French musician
Sylvain Chauveau
as On.
Decisions, released on Longbox Recordings,
documents a series of recordings made at Hess’s
home during 2003, in nine tracks and forty-five minutes.
The fruit of live improvisations, with Davis on laptop
and Hess using a wide range of percussive instruments,
Decisions is extremely rich in tones and sounds.
The basis of these nine tracks is Hess’s scarce
percussions, which are then treated and developed by
Davis. A very simple approach, which results in a series
of fascinating minimal recordings.
Although rhythmic elements occasionally appear all along
this album, the process used here doesn’t allow
for forceful constructions. Instead, the pair progressively
make their way through a series of fractured soundscapes,
collating sounds and noises to slowly build up their
compositions. Adding textures and tones to Hess’s
organic sounds, Davis adds substance to the framework
of these tracks.
Each track is named according to the date when it was
recorded and given a number, which adds to the somewhat
esoteric nature of this record. The album opens with
021703(11), where electronic and percussions
appear as locked in a revolving dialogue, as if Davis
and Hess were communicating using some strange coded
language. 042903(02) is livelier and more intricate.
A series of light wooden sounds circle around all the
way through, and are progressively augmented of distortions
and glitches. A similar process is applied on 060303(15)
and 060303(11), establishing a running thread
through this album.
0402203(05) and 041803(04) reveal
darker, heavier soundscapes, based on cymbals and bell
sounds and resonance, which are then stretched and treated
through Davis’s laptop. Dense sonic clouds appear
to hover for a moments before being pushed away by new
ones. On the latter, the pair work around a high-pitched
noise, which is constantly faded in and out of the scope,
while other sounds are left swirling around it. The
album closes with 041803(mix), which seems
to combine elements of each of the eight previous tracks
and offers a summary of what Davis and Hess can produce.
Decisions is a difficult and complex record,
which requires attention and involvement to understand
its depth and substance. This electro-acoustic piece
is likely to disconcert fans of both Davis and Hess’s
many projects as it operates away from their usual work,
yet, with very little material to work on, what they
manage to produce here simply magnificent.
4.7/5 |
