Although she has taken part in a multitude of collaborations, as well as having an impressive resume as a visual artist, this album is Bullock's first true "album" to be released. Consisting of four unified conceptual pieces and two distinct separate ones, Ray of Dark demonstrates a sense of ability that many similar artists strive for in the twilight of their careers.
The first four pieces are solo tracks from Bullock and her bandmates in Twilight of the Century that she reworked, giving each a distinct sound, but also a unifying consistency as well."Navigational Madness," by Rambutan (Eric Hardiman, also of Burnt Hills and Century Plants) drags guitar detritus through submerged amplifier noise, creating a dense mix with infrequent piano-like outbursts, all the while a dirge rhythm clicks away.
Her reworking of husband Michael T. Bullock’s "Line's Dead" focuses on fragments of radio transmissions and distorted electronics, with the occasional heavy rhythmic outburst, with shrill, filtered noises occasionally making their presence known.Fossils From The Sun's "Stage Evil" (Ray Hare, also of Century Plants) takes on a scraping, intense bit of live chaos with carefully rationed feedback and improvised found sounds, resulting in a heavy, but restrained noise piece with occasional outbursts.Bullock's own "Ray of Dark" becomes a miasma of irregular, dubby drum machine beats and noisy guitar squalls, leading into a syrupy set of textures and decaying noise.
Of the remaining two pieces, "The Story of Mike" is by far the lightest moment to be heard here.Field recordings of distant crickets and frogs are met with layered conversations discussing the birth of Mike Bullock in a suitably absurdist manner, eventually with some deep guitar pulses to be heard.The closing "A Specific Gravity" features both Bullocks working together, mixing soft tones with abrasive textures, all the while a mechanical hum fills the air.
Linda Aubry Bullock's "sound" is one that is not easily categorized or pigeon holed, but there is a definite strain of dark, post-industrial experimentalism to be heard: it is as an influence more than as a defining quality.The multitude of sounds and approaches to be heard here are definitely Ray of Dark's strongest feature.While "The Story of Mike" may feel a bit out of place with its more absurdist, comical tone, it works well as a ray of light in an otherwise dark, but compelling album.
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