Andrew Hock has carved out a niche for himself as a guitarist for bands including Psalm Zero and the recently deceased Castevet, but this makes for his first truly solo release. Crystalline Privative Opulence, featuring additional wind instrumentation by Jeremiah Cymerman and Davindar Singh, showcases his skill with a guitar as well as electronics but more so his sense of composition amongst these two side-long songs.
The first of the two untitled compositions begins quite simply, with melodic, basic guitar strums filling the air.It is sparse and clean, and he slowly expands the sound.The melancholy, yet pure guitar sound continues for a while before being quickly mixed with a quieter, but more dissonant and messy backing loop of processed guitar.At first the melodic sound continues, but then it is pulled down into the noisy mire of distortion and loops.
What first began as gentle chiming guitar soon becomes a din of harshness and chaos that is all engulfing.Hock begins to emphasize the electronics above all else, resulting in a piece that is much more violent than it began.Full on horror movie shrieks and bizarre warbling noises become the standard, and even what sounds like a swarm of killer bees are introduced to further conjure terror.
The piece on the other side of the tape is less oppressive or menacing in comparison.While the guitar was the predominant theme on the first half, here the focus is on ominous and distant electronics.Woodwinds generate deep foghorn tones expanding through the mist.Hock fleshes out the open, foggy space by reintroducing his guitar to the mix, clean and melodic strumming that contrasts the droning background exceptionally well.In a mirroring of the way the first piece was constructed, the electronics give way here for the elegant guitar work to take the focus.Eventually he introduces a second guitar line, with just enough distortion and effects to make for a great contrast to the otherwise pristine sound before ending with what sounds like a bass guitar passage.
Guitar and electronics are the primary sounds throughout Crystalline Privative Opulence, but it is the way Hock (and his two collaborators) put these sounds together that makes this tape memorable.The slow building of the compositions, as well as the deliberate shifts between electronics and guitar keep the sound intriguing.Texture and melody meld together wonderfully, resulting in two pieces that shift and evolve wonderfully on his first solo work.
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