This four-track, 16-minute CD marks the first collaboration between twoof the prime movers of experimental sound. The brevity of the albummakes it somewhat difficult to get a handle on. Over the years, I'vecome to expect long-form, immersive soundscapes from both of theseartists - whether the long, shape-shifting textural drones of Organumor the multiple-part conceptual movements of Z'ev. At about fourminutes each, each of these tracks seem oddly truncated, resolvingthemselves just as they begin to become interesting. With artists asintelligent and purposeful as these, I'm not ready to assume that thiswas a miscalculation or just plain laziness. Rather, the brevity of Tinnitus Vumay be a reflection of its theme, which in this case appears to behearing loss. Tinnitus is an affliction of hearing in which thesufferer hears persistent buzzing, high-pitched ringing, televisionstatic or wind noise. David Jackman and Stefan Weisser both apparentlysuffer from intermittent tinnitus, and this work can be seen as anattempt to accurately reflect the experience of this hearing disorderto the unafflicted listener. Each piece begins and ends with a few barsof piano, but in between is an electronic storm of thought-cancelingwhite noise, curling metallic drones, and undifferentiated swarms ofwhat sound like tiny robotic gnats. The effect is quite brilliant atmoments, especially towards the end of the third track, when for amoment I thought that my hearing actually had dropped out for a moment,as sometimes happens the day after a particularly loud concert. Thiswas merely an auditory illusion borne of the cleverly renderedproduction of the track. There is none of Z'ev's trademark percussionin the mix, at least not in any recognizable form, so the album ends upcloser in sound to Organum's work, which is not a bad thing. In theend, I was left wanting more from this collaboration, and it looks likeI may get my wish soon, as a full-length collaboration is planned forrelease soon on Die Stadt. Read More
