While it almost seems more of an experiment than a true composition at times, this 140 minute work shows the clown prince of minimalist drone working on live improvisations using a unique instrument, a double piano. And while sounding purely experimental at times, the work transcends the academics and is just as enjoyable to listen to as a work of art as it is a study of an instrument.
The double piano that Palestine employs consists of the traditional 88 key piano plus a lower 37 note section played with pedals, allowing him to essentially play with all four limbs. The first disc in this set is the one of more clear and overt experimentation, which is rather obvious from the track titles, beginning with "Super High Tones" and then "Tritone Octave 5" all the way down to "Tritone Octave ½". Throughout each segment, Palestine plays an extremely rapid cluster of notes that slowly drops in register as the tracks go on. While this might sound somewhat repetitive, it is actually quite engaging, as the repetition has a hypnotic quality to it, and the actual dynamics of the playing varies throughout the tracks.
Plus, it allows listeners to further appreciate the subtle variations in tone and the different moods and atmospheres that go along: "Super High Tones" sticks to the high registers so much that it begins to give the literal impression of hammering, sounding like hammers banging nails into wood, and the metallic reverb that would emanate before eventually picking up in tempo so fast that it no longer sounds like a piano, but sustained chimes.
As the octaves drop, so does the mood, going from a smooth, warm ambience (no doubt due to the reverb in the church where it was recorded) into darker and more sinister places as the octaves drops. After a midpoint stretch of filmic type tension and darkness, it eventually dissolves into dissonant crashes and harpsichord like hums of pure chaos.
The second disc is less of an examination and more of a composition based on its unique properties. It retains the rapid note clustering elements of the first disc, but rather than being a concentrated study in the tonal quality of the piano, it is instead a piece that reflects the cataclysmic mood in the work's title. Sticking to the lower register keys, Palestine uses the pedals of the double piano to keep the mood demonic with the dissonant notes, alternating from rapid moments of tense tones to pensive, more reflective soft moments. As the composition reaches its end, the darkness grows until finally ending in a clanging, scraping sound emanating from the piano that sounds completely apocalyptic and swallows the entire composition.
While it is essentially a sprawling, 140-minute composition, this set is one that, unlike a lot of Palestine's other works, can be enjoyed in the smaller bite sized chunks that the discs are so nicely indexed into. Its full effect is best felt by listening to it completely, however, and best experienced loudly in a fully immersive setting. Tinny speakers aren't quite the same as a good loud setup to emulate the church where it was all recorded.
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