With the timing of this 7" single, this could be seen as a companion to this duo's recent and universally lauded The Radiant Mirror duo LP on Textile records. No less balls-out intense and exploratory, this rougher and more lively take on their musical pairing pins down the chemistry of this improvising drummer and Shaahi Baaja player.
The title track sees both players immediately lifting off from the starter's block, Corsano attempting to slip around the sides of the fret-fucking Vibracathedral Orchestra member Mick Flower, at one point almost disappearing off the radar. The heavy raga shred of Flower's Shaahi Baaja (a Japanese Banjo that looks like ZZ Top took up the lap steel) calls to mind more than just its own singular voice, there are flutes, horns and pylon spillage sounds in there too. Despite the massive presence of the instrument, and its authoritative volume, there’s no sublimating Corsano; this is why this is a great improvisational team up.
On the reverse's "The Fifth Truth" both players show what the union is capable of when both are on full steam. Fueled on something illegal cut heavily with heavy vitamins and chili powder, they kick out explosion after explosion of razored notes that veer left of hitting chords. At times the sound is like water storage being emptied through the speakers, the monstrous bull headed guitar sound revealing itself in rare clusters of notes as banjoesque. The almost straight tank-track rhythm from Corsano shows he’s happy to play second fiddle to Flower’s sonic spread. Coating the pile-driven drums in luminous slashes, the duo really shows that they’re playing off each other for the greater good. The slight shifts and emphasis’ on parts of the beat shows Corsano’s inability to sit still on a pulse when there are so many other ticks and tricks to use. Tracking down single lines of enquiry and leaping from these into homilies of how to really investigate an instrument, Flower drags circles from the fret that sit just right with Corsano. These two sides of perpetual peaks ram home the chemistry of Corsano and Flower, another great pairing of minds.
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