With
Seefeel, a band he formed in the first half of the nineties,
Mark Clifford explored the no-man’s land between
indie rock and electronica. The band progressively veered
towards less conventional musical structures built around
hypnotic rhythmic sections and treated guitars and vocals.
Following a series of well-received EPs and a debut
album, Quique, released on Too Pure, the band
went on to record for Warp and Reflex before finally
bowing out after the release of their third album, (CH-Vox)
in 1996. While the rest of the band continued to record
as Scala, Clifford focused on his solo projects, Disjecta
and Woodenspoon, and his collaboration with singer Sophie
Hinkley as Sneakster. More recently, Clifford set up
his own record label, Polyfusia, and after a musical
break of a few years, is releasing new material again.
For this first album since Disjecta’s Clean
Pit & Lid, released almost ten years ago, and
Sneakster's Pseudo-Nouveau, published in 1999
on Bella Union, Clifford has teamed up with relative
newcomer Simon Kealoha, who also officiates as Calika.
Running Taper combines Clifford’s foggy
treated guitars and Kealoha’s complex mix of electronic
and organic sound into often-dense sonic structures.
At times reminiscent of Clifford’s work with Seefeel,
albeit in a more concise form, the eight tracks of Running
Taper see the pair exploring a wide range of soundscapes,
from the drones of Extract: Tape____ or the
minute details of Idealess to the slow-building
hypnotic circumvolutions of Lull. Clifford’s
characteristic way of taking a particular set of sounds
and meticulously deconstruct it defines the majority
of the tracks here, with Kealoha left to pick up the
piece and patiently rebuild the whole thing to give
it a clearer meaning. This could result in Running
Taper sounding like a game of tug of war, yet the
pair actually bounce off each other all the way through,
at times clearly impacting on their respective soundscapes,
at others simply supporting the experiment.
While the majority of the tracks are developed over
several minutes, with Lull in particular reaching
well over the ten minutes mark, short interludes are
regularly inserted, allowing for the pair to concentrate
their effort in a different way. If the process appears
similar at first, 2 and the mysteriously titled
______ and _________ focus on rarefied
sound structures and minimal settings. These emerge
and disappear all too quickly, but they give the listener
a chance to witness part of the process adopted on the
more developed compositions.
Here, Mark Clifford and Simon Kealoha engage in sonic
jousts, influencing each other’s sound and ideas.
The album has the density of Clifford’s previous
work and the intensity of Kealoha’s creative approach,
resulting in it being a truly fascinating piece of work.
Out almost simultaneously, Kealoha’s debut solo
effort as Calika, Small Talk Kills Me, is a
rather different affair. If some of the elements found
here have undoubtedly filtered through to Running
Taper, the acoustic make up of Small Talk Kills
Me, and the electronic treatments applied, are
far more obvious. Using anything from strings of dismantled
pianos, a harp or a mouth organ to an acoustic guitar
and found sounds, Kealoha arranges his compositions
with great care, building on the delicate aspect of
his sound sources to alter the mood of each track. All
the way through, Kealoha applies gentle touches and
delicate tones, creating intricate sonic vignettes,
all working independently from one another. The scope
explored with this album and the maturity with which
Kealoha processes his compositions are rather impressive.
Despite its great diversity, a consistent theme emerges
as the album progresses, and with it overall coherence.
Small Talk Kills Me goes well beyond most contemporary
electronica to reach warm and welcoming sonic grounds
while remaining entirely experimental. With an undeniable
taste for wonderfully stimulating sound assemblages,
Kealoha ensures this album remains consistent and stimulating
all the way through. This is the very promising debut
album from a man with an extremely pertinent understanding
of musical structures and a visionary approach.
Running Taper 4.8/5 / Small Talk Kills Me 4.8/5 |
