Solutiore of Stareau
Solutiore of Stareau
When confronted by a set of 3 CD-Rs of music that lies in the “post-digital” vein, one wonders of the validity of such an undertaking. Is taking 180+ minutes to explore a single, minute aspect of sound creation really justified? The ambiguity of the set doesn’t help its cause either. There are no track titles, no album title, and a band name that I am not sure that I have quite right. All of the tracks are the same length on each of the CDs and always add up to exactly 60 minutes, with the exception of the third disc. All of this went through my mind before I ventured near a CD player. I considered this for a while before listening to the CD. I considered the fact the musicians that operate in this vein are looking for a totally new idiom to explore sound in. No longer tied to anything remotely human sounding, these musicians engage in creating something wholly and truly new. They are tied only to the rules they create for themselves. By this point, my curiosity overpowered me, and I slipped the CDs in.
What immediately surprised me was the sheer listenabilty of the music. There could have been layers of concepts and theory, but none of it would have mattered. This first CD was simply eminently listenable. It opens with carefully manipulated static creeping up and washing away. Soft warm melodies enter the mix, and don’t leave for the remainder of the disc. In fact, for the rest of the disc, nothing really changes. The static and the melodies brush against each other and swirl away into little eddies. It is quite soothing, but not boring at all. The music is always shifting and reinventing itself.
The second disc is a completely different story. Where the first disc was quiet and sedate, this disc is bursting with a restless crackling energy. This energy is channeled though a limited palette of scratches clicks and bumps. These tracks are very rhythmic, as opposed to the free-floating tracks on the first disc. To be honest, I can’t listen to this straight through. After about 20 minutes it begins to try one’s patience. But, for those 20 minutes, you get a conception of the detail and intricacy of the tracks.
The third disc is the real jewel in the crown. On this disc, Willscher gets downright poppy. The disc starts out abstractly melodic, like a combination of the first two discs. Very quickly, the beats become more pronounced. I can draw a parallel between these tracks and Jan St. Werner. Imagine the progression from Werner’s abstract Microstoria project, to the much more accessible Mouse on Mars. Unlike the first two discs, all of these tracks have titles, and vary in length. “Inbast Goodanswer remix” sounds almost like a percussionless Brokeback. “Partisan Mix,” “21 Eyes and 16 Noses,” and “Obliqueelliptical Mix” all comprise the “House EP.” “Partisan Mix” is a jazzy, drum ‘n bass track with samples from the caller of House of Representatives, while “Obliqueelliptical Mix” is deeper, textured d ‘n b. The disc is rounded out by a collection of tracks both beaty and melodic.
To be true, this set available (yet). Rumor has it that a large and reputable experimental label has picked this set up, and will be releasing it soon. With the caliber of these three discs, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Mille Plateaux. Very, very recommended. You can contact Nick Willscher at nzammuto@wso.williams.edu
