From what I had heard about the Yellow Swans, I expected this album to be harsh, with plenty of layers of static and distortion washing over all other sounds. While those elements are present to a certain degree, Drift is much more varied and better than I had hoped.
I find noise for its own sake to be pretty boring. It’s not enough to come up with a cool sound, it must also be used in an interesting way. Too often it seems that noisicians settle for texture when rhythm, atmosphere, and an overall sense of dynamics are just as important. With the three untitled tracks on this album, the duo of Swanson and Salomon provide great examples of how a wide variety of sounds can be used as compositional tools in music that’s still completely abstract and unpredictable.
Assembled from months of live shows, the group sets the best parts against each other to delirious effect. The first track finds rhythmic clouds of distortion battling mind-cleansing drones over an undercurrent of undifferentiated bass. Later a guitar joins, in addition to other rhythms that appear and then soon vanish. There is a lot to focus on, but not in an overwhelming sense. The next track cools down a little bit, with drones, digital scales, and spectral gasps amid whirring machinery. The last track starts meditatively and slowly awakens into a soaring, triumphant epiphany that’s nearly thwarted by disruptive squeals before regaining its balance.
Both rejuvenating and exciting, this album unfolds and rewards after repeated listens.
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