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While not much time has elapsed since his last full length album, Matt Weston has created another masterwork of unconventional electronics, bizarre found sounds, and some of his idiosyncratic drum work. Compared to last year's This is Your Rosemont Horizon, this feels a bit darker and bleaker, amidst the fragmented electronics and snatches of melody. Regardless of the downer mood, it is another brilliantly unique piece of music that sounds like no one else but Matt Weston.
The title, A New Form of Crime is probably an acknowledgment of Weston's unconventional means of recording source material for this album.Recordings collected over a 16 year period were collected in a variety of locations chosen for their acoustics, many of which being sports arenas and concert buildings.Considering access to these may not have been fully approved by the right people, there is a certain deviant edge added to the creation of the four songs here.
The manifestation of this not necessarily legal behavior on Weston's part is an excellent sense of space and depth to these compositions.Although these recordings are treated and processed quite heavily, the environments do shine through, such as the massive echo and open space used on "Samidoun" and harrowing expansive passages of the appropriately titled "We Want You to Panic."There are some almost normal sounding guitar and drum passages on the all-too-brief "Stopping is Believing," but the spaciousness of the recordings gives a whole additional layer.
For another conceptual piece, the aforementioned "We Want You to Panic" features an orchestra of cars driving over a rural New York bridge, "conducted" by Weston via headlights.The passing of cars gives a nicerhythmic counterpoint to the scattershot electronics.Within that he brings in dense walls of processed conversations, cut up and bent tones, and the occasionally jarring outburst of electronics.Even within this dizzying, fragmented chaos there are some almost pleasant bells snuck into the mix, giving some inviting moments in an otherwise imposing work.
Weston does this a few other times throughout A New Form of Crime, such as the deeply submerged string melodies of "Samidoun" that later lurks amidst the insect-like electronic bursts and cut up mayhem he creates.The guitar segments of "Stopping is Believing" also have a traditionally musical structure to them as well.Album closer "Under the Rifle Sights of Snipers" features him going for the more chaotic elements of his arsenal.Echoed outbursts and metallic rhythms skitter about, with unexpected harsh outbursts here and there.With some jazzy horn-like outbursts and weird voices, it is certainly unpleasant at times, but in the best of ways.
With the overall sinister vibe, carrying over to the more monochromatic cover art (when compared to his previous releases), and the song titles, there is a sinister, angry feel to A New Form of Crime.Surely a reflection of the world around him, Matt Weston channels this darkness into captured spaces, unconventional electronics, and his omnipresent idiosyncratic drumming.It is a frenzied, noisy bit of unusual, but amazing work that continues Weston’s tradition of experimental work.
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After a few recent, highly conceptual and very long-form works, Francisco López has gone back to basics with his latest release. Consisting of a single 60 minute piece, packaged in a plain sleeve with the most limited of artwork, he is at his traditional, reductive best. With little information given as to the source material or the strategies used in creating the piece, it emphasizes the sound above all else, and it is another diverse, brilliantly composed piece of art from the legendary composer.
Besides the approach as far as duration and packaging, the audio López is working with sound as if he is drawing from the most basic elements of the planet.Empty spaces and textural crackles that could be fire, water, or soil appear throughout.Frigid sheets of sound and insect like processed noises can be heard as well, giving the full scope of nature filtered through López’s mixer.
Untitled #370 may be a single piece but the overall structure sounds far more song and album-like than I expected, with different elements appearing for a brief duration and then changing up again.Machinery humming, rhythmic loops, and an occasional foghorn like effect all crop-up from time to time, almost resembling recurring instruments throughout.Towards the end of the first segment the way in which Lopez layers the sound begins to reflect a traditionally structured song, with loops interlocked and sequenced with one another.
The first section may be mostly textural, organic, and sound heavily rooted in nature, but the second is more phantasmagoric.Shrill, icy sheets of aural textures and subsonic low frequencies set a sinister stage.Lopez then brings in a series of metallic scraping and grinding noises, along with a multitude of haunted house creaks and groans.As if this were not enough, there is an added passage of what could be either a human voice or an animal growl.With the processing added, the line between person, animal, or something supernatural is further blurred into something that is in league with the most unsettling work I have ever heard Lopez do.
The final section draws on elements from both, from clicking, microscopic textures, subsonic bass, and what almost resembles heavy breathing at times.This, with another section of wet, organic and indistinct noises keeps the mood unsettling and uncomfortable, if maybe somewhat less overt.López then adds on multiple loops, building in density and tension before relenting, leaving a black mass of sonic muck to end the piece on.
Unlike López's more recent work, there is a lot of intentional vagueness throughout Untitled #370.From its minimalist artwork and lack of conceptual details, it would seem that he is recalling his early days in which the music and its ambiguous sourcing was the most important part.I certainly have enjoyed his recent, multi-hour works, but there is something refreshing about a singular focus and mindset, letting the sound be the integral part of his art.
samples:
 
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Michael Gira - Vocals, words, acoustic/electric guitar, production. I started Swans in NYC in 1982 and have been the primary songwriter, singer and producer throughout the years. In the early years I played bass, but later switched to guitar. During the years of Swans hiatus (1999 - 2010), I released several albums by and toured with a group called Angels of Light.
Kristof Hahn - Lap steel, various guitars throughout, backing vocals, generous and insightful advice on mixes and arrangements. Kristof first became involved with Swans in 1989, was a principal contributor to Angels of Light, and a core Swans member 2010 - 2017. Kristof's other musical ventures have included the Rock 'n' Roll Noir band Les Hommes Sauvages and Kool Kings (with Alex Chilton). He's currently working on an instrumental record for Lawrence English's label, Room 40. He holds a master's degree in Political Science, and when Swans doesn't pay the bills, he translates books for a living. Kristof's presence, on and off tape, is pivotal to this record. Kristof lives in Berlin, Germany.
Larry Mullins - Drums, vibes, orchestral percussion, Mellotron, various keyboards, backing vocals. Larry (AKA Toby Dammit) is a trained symphonic percussionist and all-around consummate musician. He played through the 90s with Iggy Pop and later with The Stooges. He played with Swans in the late 90s and was a main contributor to Angels of Light. He is rumored to have been involved with The Residents. His varied and numerous credits also include a stint with Silver Apples as well as recently, Shakespears Sister. His current main job is playing keyboards with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I decided immediately to ask Larry to contribute to Leaving Meaning after watching the German TV series Babylon Berlin, and suddenly, unbeknownst to me, there was Larry as the main focus of various cabaret scenes, drumming behind a huge kick drum in his inimitable style. After laughing in shock for perhaps half an hour, I decided to contact him. We hadn't been in close touch for a long time and I'm elated I reached out. Larry lives in Berlin, Germany.
Yoyo Röhm - Electric bass, double bass, various keyboards, piano, backing vocals. Yoyo came to my attention through his work with Kristof and Larry in Berlin. In addition to his excellent bass playing, Yoyo's ears were invaluable in helping to sort out many of the arrangements. Yoyo plays with numerous left field musicians around Berlin and also works with Mick Harvey on his Serge Gainsbourg recordings and tours. Yoyo, Larry, Kristof and I rehearsed in Berlin for 3 weeks prior to recording. Yoyo is a true Berliner - gruff and determined on the outside, a marshmallow inside. He was a great musical resource for this record.
The Necks - (Chris Abrahams - piano, organ; Tony Buck - drums, percussion; Lloyd Swanton - double bass). I have been an avid Necks fan since I first saw them perform at a Big Ears Festival in 2010. They subsequently played with Swans at a few shows in Australia. Their live performances and recordings are just about any superlative you can think of - mesmerizing, transcendent, sublime. Their music is entirely improvisational - it's my understanding that they have no idea what they're going to play before they start. And yet, mostly using rudimentary jazz trio instrumentation, they manage to fashion burgeoning and ever-evolving, immersive clouds of sound that utterly envelop the listener as the music unfolds. I'm beyond honored and humbled that they agreed to perform the basic tracks for 2 of my songs (The Nub and Leaving Meaning). Their performances were then delicately, and (I hope!) tastefully further orchestrated upon in Berlin. Tony lives in Berlin, and also played drums on the song Some New Things.
Anna and Maria von Hausswolff - Choral backing vocals. Anna is blessed with a soaring voice, lyrical acuity and increasing facility with the church organ. I was impressed recently to learn that she often travels around Europe and visits churches unannounced, where she talks her way into being allowed to use the resident organ - some of them rather massive, I imagine - and plays and explores for hours. Her searing records and live shows reflect the courage of her imagination and have garnered her increasing, much deserved recognition. Maria is an accomplished Swedish cinematographer and director of photography. In 2017 I heard Anna and Maria singing together at a sound check for a special song they were doing in Anna's set, was instantly enthralled, and resolved at that moment to ask them to participate together on a Swans recording. I'm delighted they agreed to come to Berlin and record for me. They were a joy to work with! They live in Scandinavia.
Ben Frost - Guitar, synthesizers, sound manipulations. Ben's adventurous sound-craftings, sometimes harrowing and sometimes delicate and quite musical, and his powerful live shows, have afforded him much recognition of late. I've also been highly impressed with his soundtrack work for the HBO series, Dark. He's an extremely talented arranger and composer. His mission for this record was intentionally ill defined. I basically wanted his ears and sensibility, with no particular part or instrument in mind. I arrived at his studio in Reykjavik, Iceland, put up the songs, and he played what he thought a song needed. I was pleasantly surprised to discover his unique approach to the electric guitar as well as his synth work. Ben also was quite helpful with arrangement and mixing ideas. Ben lives in Iceland.
Baby Dee - Lead vocal on The Nub, supported by her friends Fay Christen and Ida Albertje Michels, and Jennifer Gira. Dee has released numerous records (one produced by Bonnie Prince Billie, I think), and if you don't know them, you should! The first time I saw her she was riding a unicycle in circles outside the now-defunct Avant club, Tonic, in NYC, playing a ukulele (or accordion?) and singing with great mirth. I saw her set that night and was won over. She's since toured with Swans several times. Her music could loosely be called neo cabaret, but more accurately she's totally unique and a great performer and songwriter, graced with a powerful voice and high-end ability on the piano, accordion and more. I wrote The Nub specifically for her to sing. I was stymied for words to the main guitar figure to the song, and suddenly she popped into my mind, floating through the universe in diapers, sucking milk from the stars. The song wrote itself. Dee lives in The Netherlands.
Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost - Jeremy: Santur, hi-hat, fiddlesticks, accordion, engineering; Heather: Stroh violin, violin, viola, fiddlesticks, engineering. Together, Jeremy and Heather comprise the band A Hawk and a Hacksaw. (Jeremy played at one time with the bands Neutral Milk Hotel and Beirut). Again, if you don't know their music, you should! They've released several records. It's Balkan/Gypsy influenced, somewhat psychedelicized, with great singing, playing and melodies. They're each multi-instrumentalists and they intrepidly travel the world, both touring and simply exploring the Balkans, in search of adventure and master musicians of the region, some of whom they simply befriend, others whom they record. They toured with Swans a while ago, and I've had it in the back of my mind to ask them to record on a record since. I travelled to their home studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico, presented the songs, and did the same thing I did with Ben - I said, "Now what?" You can hear them on several songs on the record, sometimes subtly, at other times more pronounced. In any event, it's great to have such a pair of wonderful humans on the record.
ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS:
Dana Schechter - Dana played bass on the song 'Some New Things'. Dana was a core member of Angels of Light. Her current band is Insect Ark. It's rather heavy and great. Will be working with Dana more soon in the future and very pleased we reconnected recently.
Jennifer Gira - Backing vocals throughout and cameo vocal on Sunfucker. Jennifer has sung backing vocals on the past few Swans albums as well as lead vocal on the song When Will I Return? on the last Swans album, The Glowing Man. She's also of invaluable help on mixing and arrangement decisions.
Cassis Staudt - Accordion and harmonium. Cassis was a core member of Angels of Light. She moved to Berlin some time ago and we lost touch. Cassis is a composer of music for films in Berlin. I'm very happy to be working with her again.
Norman Westberg - Electric guitar. Norman played on a few key moments on this record. Norman has been in and out of Swans since the beginning (mostly in) and was a core Swans member in 2010 - 2017. We'll continue to work together into the future, absolutely. Norman releases solo instrumental records through Lawrence English's Room 40 label. We're touring (each solo) together in Eastern Europe soon.
Christopher Pravdica - Bass guitar, sounds. Chris played at pivotal moments on this record. He was a core Swans member in 2010 - 2017. We'll continue to work together in the future, absolutely. Chris has recently been enlisted by Jamie Stewart for his band Xiu Xiu.
Phil Puleo - Phil played hammer dulcimer on the song Amnesia. This might be considered a severe underutilization of his considerable talents as a drummer, but there's more to come quite soon. Phil was a core member in Swans 2010 - 2017 and played as a member of Swans in the late 90s and contributed to Angels of Light.
Thor Harris - percussion, trumpet, clarinet, sounds, bells, gizmos, additional vibes. Thor drove up from Austin to record for me at Heather and Jeremy's place in Albuquerque. Always a highpoint to be in the presence of this committed musician and friend. Thor was a core member of Swans in 2010 - 2016 as well as Angels of Light. Certainly, more to come! Thor has his own happening combo, Thor and friends, and they make seductive and beautiful records and tour often. He also has recently been recruited by Jamie for Xiu Xiu.
Paul Wallfisch - Paul played piano to great effect here and there on the record. Paul was a touring member of Swans in 2017. He works with the glorious human chanteuse Little Annie. He's also a musical director for theater productions in Germany, and recently landed a very fancy-pants job as musical director/composer for a theater production at a historical theater in Vienna.
Thanks to All!!!!
MG"
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Patience is the debut full-length album by Sante Fe-based artist Theodore Cale Schafer. Alternately murky and narcoleptic and bristling with grit and light, this collection of eight pieces is a delicate play of contrasts. Impressionistic settings unfurl with an unhurried gait, opening with the dreamlike disorientation of "Gold Chain" in which a degraded location recording gives way to a soft web of treated piano motifs. Schafer's compositions are sumptuous yet unfussy, recalling perhaps the concise, vignette-oriented tape works of Andrew Chalk, which seem to prioritize spontaneity and ephemerality over preciousness and decorum. This approach yields substantive results, as on "It's Late", which marries a dolorous, clanging guitar sketch to the sound of change jostling in the pocket of a walker and the laughter of friends or passersby. This is diaristic music - rough-hewn, confessional, and teeming with possibility.
More information can be found here.
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Since its inception in 2011, the Rrose project has spawned over a dozen vinyl EPs on Sandwell District, Stroboscopic Artefacts, Infrastructure, and their own Eaux label as well as three collaborative albums with Bob Ostertag (on Buchla 200E modular synthesizer), Charlemagne Palestine (for two pianos), and Lucy (as Lotus Eater) respectively. A fourth album-length project on Seattle’s Further Records saw Rrose reinterpreting and extending James Tenney’s monolithic 1971 piece "Having Never Written a Note for Percussion" for solo gong. Hymn to Moisture is Rrose's first solo album of original material.
Releases November 8, 2019. More information can be found here.
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All twelve "Inside the Cathedral" sessions from Season 1 (2019).
These sessions were recorded and filmed live in my music research lab and then broadcast weekly on my YouTube channel.
I FEEL LIKE A BOMBED CATHEDRAL is
Amaury Cambuzat: Electric Guitar with Effects plus Heartbeats.
More information can be found here.
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The enigmatic Norweigan duo of D√∏dsmaskin made the decision to intentionally split the sound of √òdelagt into two distinct types on their first vinyl release. The first half showcases their more structured industrial tendencies: surges of noise, harsh abstract rhythms and rumbling bass synth passages. On the other half there is less structure and more flow: melodic passages that drift like a harsher Tangerine Dream and a sound that is dark, but not oppressive. Taken separately both are great, but paired together it makes for an even better release.
The first half of Ødelagt clearly emphasizes the duo’s indebtedness to the Cold Meat Industries variant of industrial music:harsh distortion, massive reverb, and an omnipresent sense of evil."Svart Tundra" opens the side via cavernous echoes, nonspecific crunching sounds, and spiny metallic rattles.These distinct sounds are layered together, building a heavy, dark atmosphere that is eventually paired with some distant noise surges.The piece transitions to a simmering grind, full heavy pounding noises, but has a distinct sense of composition and structure to it.
For "Jernguden," the mix is a bit tighter from the onset:reverberated squeaks and noises create a menacing ambience that is fleshed out via some wonderfully heavy bass synthesizer work and heavy delay.There is a bit more of discernible keyboard sounds that are prominent here, giving a slightly more conventional edge throughout.Even with this bit of normalcy, it is still largely an intense, harsh work with an admirable sense of restraint keeping everything in check.There is a multitude of feedback and percussion on "Det Som √òdelegger," heralding something dangerous that is filled out with increased distortion and some machine gun like outbursts.Surprisingly, the mix becomes lighter and more spacious towards the end, resulting in an almost beautiful conclusion.
Over on the other side of the record, the duo works more with lighter, echoing electronics and the occasionally melodic sequence.For "Isolasjon," the structure is looser compared to the first half, and the sound continues to expand and flow throughout the composition.This more fluid structure and ambient opening does not indicate a transition to softness, however, and there are some heavily distorted blasts later on that are noisier than anything on the first side of the record.
On the whole, concluding piece "Kaldere Nå" is the least aggressive work to be had here.Opening with an almost guitar-like bit of melody within the spacious reverb, it is a surprisingly peaceful opening.It might be a lighter start, but things do turn dark, if perhaps less dense overall.There is a shift to the aggressive as it goes on, but kept at bay and far off, keeping the menace in play, even if it is not as overt.
The way in which D√∏dsmaskin split the styles of √òdelagt makes for an excellent way to clarify the complexity of their music, but it does so in a way so that the styles compliment each other.The ambience that appears in the more rhythmic, structured first half is nicely spotlighted on the second side, while those harsher moments that pop up during the more ambient excursions have an even greater impact.It is hard for me to pick a favorite since I am always down with dour, heavy industrial sounds, but the less structured pieces have some great shifts in extremity from calm to harsh and back again.Coupled together, it makes for an exceptionally strong record.
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The concept of artists re-purposing existing music and other recorded sounds into an abstract collage or new composition has certainly been done before, and quite often. However, when it is done expertly, such as on Exploded View, it can be an amazing method of work. Colin Andrew Sheffield and James Eck Rippie approach the methodology from two technological extremes: analog turntables and digital samplers. The final product bears little resemblance to anything identifiable, resulting in a piece of music that is entirely their unique work and is captivating regardless of its construction
The single, 20-minute piece that makes up Exploded View is an astoundingly fast one, rushing by far too quickly due to the amount of variation and sounds Sheffield and Rippie use.Opening with tiny thuds and crackles (my guess would be via the abuse of a record stylus) an excellent sense of texture and space is quickly established.From there additional lo-fi sounds are added:insect swarm chirps, broken speaker static and distortion, etc.Chaotic, yes, but there is a noticeable sense of underlying structure throughout.The duo layers these parts together resulting in some pseudo-rhythmic loops seasoned with the occasionally dense, punishing blast of noise.The closest thing to discernible source material to be had is the occasional fragment of melody that weaves within the crackling and sputtering walls of sound.These mangled symphonies perfectly contrast the roaring noise and unsettling, bleeping electronics that otherwise dominates the recording.
One of the most notable facets of Exploded View is the overall production quality and sound design from Sheffield and Rippie.With all of this activity, harsh and otherwise, the entirety of the mix is enveloping and engaging.The depth of sound the two create is spectacular, making the more delicate moments clearer but the harsher ones as forceful as I would hope.The piece builds to a peak of digital mangling and some painfully piercing, sharp moments that simultaneously are balanced by some melodic, intensely treated sounds within a dense and swirling mix.Eventually layers are stripped away, with the stabbing, loud bits reigned in, and the mix pulled apart.During these more sparse moments the melodic elements shine through most and, by the conclusion of fragmented sounds and clicks, the piece concludes much like it began.
"Dizzying" may be the best adjective to describe Exploded View, because there is so much going on and so many shifts in dynamic and structure that there is very little breathing room to be had.If this was over the course of a full album or CD, it may be simply too much activity to endure, but limited to a tight 20 minutes, it is just perfect.The presentation is impressive too:the disc is in a beautifully designed colorful digipak featuring art by Bea Kwan Lim and on one of those partially transparent Minimax discs, which I am particularly fond of.With beautiful presentation and beautiful sound, Exploded View is another amazing work from Sheffield and Rippie that is just perfectly executed.
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From the original press release:
"Chry-Ptus (1971). Originally two tapes which were to be played simultaneously, with or without synchronization, which does not affect the structure of the work, but creates changes in the game of sub-harmonics and overtones.
Three variations on this piece were performed at the New York Cultural Center in 1971, with variations of amplitude and location modulation as well as synchronization. Realized on the Buchla Synthesizer at the New York University.
The booklet contains a text by painter Paul Jenkins, who also realized the watercolor on the front cover, written on occasion of Radigue's first concert in New York, April 6th, 1971."
"It's with the Buchla that I constructed Chry-Ptus, a piece made up of two tapes with an analogue duration, 22 or 23 minutes, which could be played either simultaneously or with a slight time difference, so as to establish slight variations every time the piece was played. I spent the first months eliminating everything I did not want; I even used a notebook in which I tried to determine a writing system resembling chemical formulae." Eliane Radigue
Out October 11th on Important Records.
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"I can stay up late whenever I want… but other than that, it’s nothing like I thought. I guess I thought I'd know what I'm doing by now… but I know nothing."
Have A Nice Life was formed in a time of Dan's and Tim's life that reflected concerns with depression and suicidal ideation. As the following for the project has grown, and Dan and Tim have aged and faced new life challenges with family and careers, their new album Sea of Worry reflects just that. Dread is the primary theme that is woven throughout Sea of Worry – the dread of aging, children growing up, and an increasingly uncertain future. However, Sea of Worry is Have A Nice Life at the peak of their powers; Dan and Tim's unmistakable chemistry coupled with a propulsive backing band catapults them into the stratosphere. These 7 tracks ebb and flow with noise and melody, and are so well-crafted it's near impossible to get them out of your head. More concise and perhaps more straightforward than their past releases, Have A Nice Life has found new focus and discipline on Sea of Worry and the album is a triumphant addition to their ever-evolving discography.
Sea of Worry will be released via The Flenser on November 8th 2019.
Have A Nice Life was, is, and always will be Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga. Have A Nice Life is also Myke Cameron (bass), Rich Otero (drums, synths, programming), Joe Streeter (guitar), Cody Kestigian (live visuals).
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I cannot think of many other artists in the ambient/experimental milieu who are as unwaveringly reliable as Scott Morgan, although his last major release (Monument Builders) admittedly threw some unexpected new elements into the mix. With Equivalents, however, he returns to his comfort zone for yet another lovely suite of lush and elegantly blurred ambient soundscapes. Morgan’s inspiration this time around was Alfred Stieglitz's iconic series of cloud photographs, which could not possibly be less surprising or more apt: the Loscil aesthetic has long been the musical equivalent of a sky full of slow-moving, abstract cloud shapes and Equivalents is an archetypal example of that. Nevertheless, the Loscil aesthetic still continues to evolve in subtle ways, as Morgan eases up a bit on his characteristic melancholy, resulting in one of his warmest and most quietly lovely releases to date. It is possible that Morgan may have learned a thing or two about balancing light and dark from Stieglitz's striking photos, but the real beauty of this album lies in how he masterfully and seamlessly dissolves chords and melodies into gorgeously dreamlike and gently churning abstraction.
Loscil is a project that I have always found dangerously easy to take for granted, as Scott Morgan has eternally been devoted to doing one specific thing extremely well and he has now released twelve full-length albums of his blurred and sublime drones.Occasionally, he has tweaked the formula with collaborations or influences from dub-techno or minimalist classical music, but Loscil is exactly what I would play for someone if they asked me what "ambient" sounded like (or if they asked for a definitive example of the classic Kranky aesthetic).Admittedly, Morgan has had some cool conceptual inspirations from time to time, yet his emphasis has always been more upon perfecting the form rather than stretching its boundaries.In at least one way, Morgan is uniquely suited for that path, as his day job is that of sound designer for film and video games.That aspect of his work has always held the strongest appeal for me, as Morgan is a master at transforming chords and melodies into something foggy and indistinct.Admittedly, there are loads of other artists who are similarly keen on blurred and smeared sounds these days, but Morgan tends to be on an entirely different level in that regard and Equivalents is Morgan's culminating achievement: these compositions all feel like they are shrouded in a deep fog, but he brings a physicality to everything that makes me feel like I am immersed in the same fog myself.Equivalents is not an album that seems like it is unfolding in the veiled distance–it is an enveloping and billowing cloudworld populated with obscured and enigmatic streaks of color and emotional depth. 
The album is comprised of eight numbered pieces that all feel a bit like variations on a theme, though the numbers are in non-sequential order and one piece ("Equivalent 7") is a collaborative reworking of an earlier dance score (Morgan is joined by Secret Pyramid's Amir Abbey).Despite the reworking, that earlier piece feels very like the simple foundation that birthed everything else on the album, as it captures Morgan at his most unrepentantly cloudlike.It is not alone in that regard, however, as the second half of the album definitely feels like all of the structures of the first half are dissolving into a churning, hissing, and swirling fog of obscured chords.That is admittedly a very pleasant place to linger once I am there, but the succession of more distinct pieces that open the album is where Equivalents shines the brightest.
The difference between the two halves of the album is an amusingly simple and subtle one though, as the better pieces are merely the ones in which Morgan just added one additional element to his usual palette of smeared and heaving soft-focus drones.In the case of the opening "Equivalent 1," for example, the heart of the peace is a chopped and stuttering organ chord with an erratically shifting pulse.The following "Equivalent 3" actually goes so far as to include a slow-motion, melancholy melody, yet the real beauty of the piece lies in the rhythmic swells of a gorgeously angelic chord.Elsewhere, "Equivalent 6" is similarly heavenly, but goes about it in a completely different way, as a languorously looping and radiant melody unfolds deep inside an enchanted mist.My favorite piece, however, is "Equivalent 5."It deceptively opens with an ascending motif of woozy and wobbling chords, but the chords are unexpectedly eviscerated to become a ghostly, swaying presence in a swooning and seismic crescendo of celestial swells.
It is quite difficult to say quite how Equivalents stacks up against previous Loscil releases, as I view Scott Morgan more as skilled craftsman than as an artist.That is not meant as a critique, as he is very clearly both, but he is definitely someone who can be counted on to put a lot of time, thought, and effort into getting each album exactly right rather than someone who is prone to bold and ambitious new visions.For as long as I can remember, each fresh Loscil album has been exquisitely crafted and Morgan only grows (incrementally) better as the years pass, so the only real variable is how much the direction of a given album resonates with me.In that highly subjective regard, Equivalents delights me more than most other Loscil releases, as it is a bit more understatedly beautiful and emotionally ambiguous than his usual fare: a pervasive sense of deep sadness does not lend itself to heavy-rotation listenability as well as the more nuanced emotional shading found here.If Equivalents has a weakness, it is only that it is heavily frontloaded with all of Morgan's strongest motifs, though it does not necessarily become any less immersive and lovely once all of the prominent themes are dissolved into the fog.In fact, that dynamic trajectory is very likely by design: the more structured and distinctive pieces lure me deep into Equivalents' billowing heaven, but their more overt allure gradually fades away, elegantly bringing the more painterly pleasures of the smeared and dissolving details into focus.
Samples can be found here.
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