HARUKI: The Land That Lies Behind Us (Hibernate Recordings)/Snowed In Food Shelter (Klanggold)

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Posted on Nov 2nd 2010 01:33 am

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Haruki: The Land The Lies Behind Us Haruki: Snowed In Food Shelter

HARUKI
The Land That Lies Behind Us
HB12
Hibernate Recordings 2010
05 Tracks. 22mins01secs

HARUKI
Snowed In Food Shelter
KG008
Klanggold 2010
05 Tracks. 29mins10secs

The Land That Lies Behind Us
Boomkat: CD Norma Records: CD
Snowed In Food Shelter
Amazon UK: DLD US: DLD iTunes: DLD

Haruki is the solo experimental project of Belgian musician and sound artist Boris Snauwaert. Already responsible for a handful of very limited releases on a variety of labels, Snauwaert released the rather superb To Humble A Nest on The Land Of last year, followed this year by two mini-albums, once again published in a very small run, one for UK imprint Hibernate, the other for Germany-based Klanggold, each taking a slightly different approach to Snauwaert’s granular organic electronic music.

Released earlier this year, The Land That Lies Behind Us comes as a 3” CD presented in a three-fold cover wrapped in a white envelop. Built from a wide array of sound sources, ranging from acoustic instruments to field recordings, some processed, others left in their natural state, the textured landscapes with which Snauwaert experiments are particularly evocative. Each track constitutes a singular universe, totally independent from the rest of the record, yet perfectly incorporated in the overall work. The basis for each of these tracks are infinitely detailed soundscapes, which can at times be extremely delicate and refined, or at others distorted and distressed, upon which Snauwaert adds fragments of melody, occasionally placing a piano or acoustic guitar in the foreground, but rarely developing these into full sequences. Instead, it is the atmospheric nature of his tracks which is at the heart of Haruki’s work. Snauwaert continuously applies almost imperceptible alterations to his soundscapes, triggering subtle variations and shifts in the tone or mood, ranging from the dense ominous drone-like form which serves as backdrop to The Quiet Side Of A Square or the increasingly dissonant and distorted forms on You Were Harmless, which at times sound like an acutely orchestral construction, to an abrasive electric guitar which is ultimately swallowed by a high pitched tone on In The Time or strident drone compositions which progressively make way for the sombre undertones of a sampled cello and a scattered piano line on A Century Of Losses, and the ambitious and multi-faceted White Meadow, which at first appears to hark back to the opening moments of this record, yet dissolves completely when a gentle acoustic guitar melody appears.

Snowed In Food Shelter works from similar principles, yet, right from the saturated instrumentation of Animals All Over The Table, there is an undeniably chill blowing over the record which was not present on The Land That Lies Behind Us. It is as if Snauwaert had retreated into some remote and desolate Arctic hideaway in the midst of winter. The sound pool from which these five tracks are made of is actually even more eclectic and vast than on its predecessor, but, distorted and processed as they are, they actually appear far less extensive. It takes for the rare brushes of a clarinet on A Chair Is For Reaching Out to realise that there may be more to these than first thought. Everything here is rudimentary and bare, dragging pieces such as Your Flowers Are Dripping, There Are Things We Should Have Talked About or How To Bend Over In Five Movements into some pretty bleak and inhospitable corners. There is very little left of the fragmented pastoral moments of previous releases, Snauwaert’s truly immersive mood covering any hint of light with a heavy cloak. The nine and a half minute epic How To Bend Over In Five Movements is a particularly masterful piece, as Snauwaert goes through a series of atmospheric settings, at times ominous and gloomy, at others more delicate and refined, and constantly alters the overall mood, yet manages to create an extremely homogenous and exquisite moment and bring this mini album to a somewhat understated conclusion.

The stark soundscapes and haunting ambiences assembled by Boris Snauwaert are at times reminiscent of the dark atmospheric textures found on Miasmah, yet his approach is often more open and benefits from his vast collection of sound sources. If anything, it is a shame that these two records are released in such small runs, as Snauwaert’s work truly deserves to be heard.

The Land That Lies Behind Us: 4.2/5 Snowed In Food Shelter: 4.7/5

Haruki (MySpace) | Hibernate Recordings | Klanggold
The Land That Lies Behind Us
Boomkat: CD Norma Records: CD
Snowed In Food Shelter
Amazon UK: DLD US: DLD iTunes: DLD

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