Evening of Light » locrian

August 2011 Short Reviews

admin — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Café de l’Enfer - Marchant à quatre pattes au-devant de la rédemption [discogs]

Marchant à quatre pattes au-devant de la rédemption

This debut full-length by Café de l’Enfer on Steinklang is a typical piece of martial/neoclassical as we’ve come to know it for over a decade. The album seeks to confront the listener with the decadence of our age and ages past, drawing copiously from fin de siècle and interbellum imagery in the visual – mostly vintage pornography on the inside of the digipak – textual, and aural aspects of the release.

The music doesn’t really stand out from other martial projects that I’ve heard during the past years. The compositions are sophisticated but predictable, the instrumentation is a bit too synthetic at some points for my tastes. It’s certainly not amateuristic, but it is rather hum-drum. Some parts are certainly worth your time, such as the end of “La forêt obscure” and the threatening marches of the title track, but overall I didn’t find this a very exciting album.

It is interesting that the contrast between decadence and revolutionary order is such a recurring theme in music like this, because it sometimes seems to me that genre as a whole went from revolutionary innovation to decadent complacency and conformity. A pity. [OS]

Locrian – Dort Ist Der Weg / Frozen in Ash [discogs ]

Dort Ist der Weg

An upcoming 7″ single by US guitar droners Locrian tackles a track originally recorded by Popol Vuh. The new version updates the krautrock classic to a rawer, heavier sound, infusing it with dirty and gritty guitars, and replacing the flighty female vocals of the original with subdued chanted variants. While I would be hard-pressed to say that this version matches the level of the original – parts of the excellent riffing and melody are lost in translation – there is something repetitive, plodding and typically Locrian about it that makes it a good listen nonetheless.

The single is backed with “Frozen in Ash”, another great piece focusing on raw drones, a bit of black metal styling, and a satisfying conclusion with rolling percussion and descending piano movements. In short, Locrian’s Dort Ist Der Weg is an interesting single that will surely please those familiar with the band, as well as an interesting introduction for those who are not. [OS]

Susan Matthews & Richard Moult – Music for Two Pianos Vol. 1 [discogs]

Music for Two Pianos Vol. 1

A recent gem from the network of small musical publications in Britain is this collaboration between Matthews and Moult, who sat down to improvise delicate pieces for piano. Now, I don’t have the musicological education to be able to place the compositions that emerged from these sessions in terms of style or even tonality, but based on pure feeling they are delicate and subtle, and very satisfying to listen to.

A bit like many of Moult’s solo piano works, the melodies on this album speak a unique language that is not directly referential or concrete. Sometimes they can set a mood of wonder or melancholy, but always at such an abstract level that they hold on to a certain mystic power. The seven tracks manage to hold on to a beautiful, calm flow for 45 minutes, and are highly recommended listening for anyone interested in experimental piano music.

Sadly, this one was limited to a mere 50 copies on Sonic Oyster records, so you’ll either have to look for a second-hand or mailorder copy, or wait for volume 2, which I hope is in the works. [OS]

Z’ev & Jason Kahn – Intervals [discogs]

Intervals

This CD on Monotype offers two live recordings by Z’ev and Jason Kahn in Switzerland, April 2009. While I was anxious to hear these gigs, I was somewhat disappointed by the result. While the experimental improvised percussion by both artists (with some minimal electronics as well) is certainly interesting, I feel it might have been more interesting to witness it live and up close than on a recording. That way you can really experience what it is they are doing and how they construct their abstract soundscapes.

As it stands on CD, the abstraction goes a bit too far for me, and without any visual cues or physical presence, the sound quickly lose their import. This is aggravated by the muddy, mediocre recording quality, which downplays the fine detail of sound that is an essential part of the value of experimental percussion and surely audible when one is up close to the actual performance. [OS]

Review: Locrian – The Crystal World (2010)

admin — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:47:37 +0000

artist: Locrian
release: The Crystal World
format: 2CD, LP
year of release: 2010
label: Utech
duration: 1:47:53

Locrian does not rest idly, and I for one am all the happier for it. Not incredibly long after the previous album Territories comes another full-length, and a further step for this band. Andre Foisy and Terence Hannum are joined by Steven Hess on percussion and electronics, finalising the sound – at least for now – that was developed on albums like Drenched Lands and the previous one mentioned above. If you hadn’t read my previous reviews yet: Locrian are of the most important names to watch in the realm of guitar drones, improvised raw soundscapes, and for lack of a better term, ‘post-metal’.

Although the theme of The Crystal World can once again be called apocalyptic or even dystopian, this time there is a clear literary reference behind it, and that is the novel of the same name by J.G. Ballard, published in 1966. In this novel, a doctor and researcher of leprosy travels deep into the African jungle in search of a past love interest, and to investigate a strange natural phenomenon. As it turns out, an unknown virus or pathogen is causing the gradual crystallisation of everything in the jungle, and it is slowly spreading outward, encasing the world in a crystalline stasis where time stops.

The novel and this album are both equally fascinating works, and luckily the links backward are rather loose, allowing one to enjoy each without intrusion from the other. However, keeping the thematic background of the novel in the back of your mind while listening to this work certainly doesn’t hurt the atmosphere created. I had already praised the inclusion of percussion in Territories, and they are equally functional here, laying down subtle rolling fills and gentle rhythms, rather than the black metal explosions on the previous albums. In general, the flow of this album is also more gradual, mirroring the slow but steady crystallisation in the novel. The tools of the trade are still the same: a lot of feedback, distant screams, subtle synths, and quite a few guitar melodies, both distorted and clean. Of particular beauty is the title track, which perfectly captures a feeling of foreboding in a gently looping melody with asymmetric drums and high-pitched guitar wails. It strikes me also that despite the songs having a clear head and tail, the progression of the album is very smooth and coherent, perhaps also because of the subtle repetition of musical motifs. The main part ends with “Elevations and Depths”, a slow metal intro latched onto an epic acoustic ending of acoustic guitar, accordion, and violin.

The CD release of the album comes with a 53-minute bonus, called “Extinction”, which feels like purer drone-reworking of the main part of the album. The atmosphere is similar, but more vast and extensive. Compared to the perfectly proportioned tracks of the first CD, but also longer droneworks of Locrian’s past, I feel it is perhaps a bit too drawn out in places. However, it does make a conceptually nice fit as the post-apocalyptic stage of this album, and in its long duration there are many parts worth discovering for laid back listening sessions.

As such, the third full length album by Locrian is another success for these men, and a highly recommended piece of experimental music. The 2CD edition is out end of November 2010 on Utech Records, with the LP (without “Extinction”) coming somewhere in 2011.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Triumph of Elimination (5:48)
2. At Night’s End (7:20)
3. The Crystal World (5:52)
4. Pathogens (11:06)
5. Obsidian Facades (7:48)
6. Elevations and Depths (10:47)

7. Extinction (53:40)

Cloudscape #7: October 2010

admin — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:54:20 +0000

Cloudscape #7: October 2010 by Evening Of Light on Mixcloud

Time | artist | track | album | year

Review: Locrian – Territories (2010)

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:46:21 +0000

artist: Locrian
release: Territories
format: LP
year of release: 2010
label: At War With False Noise, Basses Frequences, BloodLust!, Small Doses
duration: 47:47

detailed info: discogs.com

Locrian‘s discography keeps growing at a steady pace, and with releases like this year’s Territories filling up the ranks, that is nothing to be ashamed of. The solid base of tearing guitars, drones, subtle synths and screeching noise is still here, but this time around, Andre Foisy and Terrence Hannum are joined by a variety of guest musicians, adding drums and other elements into the dystopian music.

“Inverted Ruins” starts off slow, with plodding drums and ear-piercing high frequencies accompanying slowly descending chords and raw, dirty vocals. “Between Barrows” is a subtle layered ambient piece with organs and cymbal swells. The A-side closes with a short noisy guitar soundscape that morphs into a raw black metal track, opening new vistas for the band.

The second half of the album has a similar curve, with “Ring Road” and “Antediluvian Territory” exploring melodies and drones, and the excellent final track, bringing more black metal after an otherworldly dual-guitar intro, and ending with some great melodic guitar leads over slower drums.

This Territories LP is yet another example of the fascinating music of Locrian. It’s not quite metal, not quite ambient, but something in its own right: urban, industrial, raw, visionary, and dystopian. Genre-crossing music for the 21st century.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

I. Inverted Ruins (8:35)
II. Between Barrows (5:54)
III. Procession Of Ancestral Brutalism (10:48)

IV. Ring Road (9:41)
V. Antediluvian Territory (4:02)
VI. The Columnless Arcade (8:50)

Cloudscape #5: August 2010

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 08:15:45 +0000

Cloudscape #5: August 2010 by Evening Of Light on Mixcloud

Playlist with starting times in parentheses:

1. (00:00)
novemthree – Ashes
from: From These Ashes (2010)

2. (05:55)
Nihil Project – Weaving Wheat
from: Plough Plays (2006)

3. (10:44)
Twelve Thousand Days – All in the May
from: The Devil in the Grain (2001)

4. (13:12)
Locrian – Between Barrows
from: Territories (2010)

5. (18:58)
Maarten van der Vleuten – Thymatron DG
from: ECT for Piano (2009)

6. (22:14)
The Gray Field Recordings – Stars Fall to Earth
from: Hypnagogia (2005)

7. (25:15)
English Heretic - Don’t Let Them Immanentise the Eschaton
from: 2006 Annual (2006)

8. (26:53)
Von Thronstahl - Sturmzeit [Schachmatt Mix]
from: Conscriptum (2010)

9. (29:55)
Kris Force / Jarboe – Woodsman Wolf
from: The Path (2010)

10. (32:50)
Visions – In the Midst of Infinity
from: Summoning the Void (2010)

11. (42:00)
Children of the Stones – Fog on the Womb Road
from: The Bright Day Is Gone (2006)

12. (48:28)
Duo Noir - Recessional
from: Sintra (2010)

13. (55:28)
Primordial – Hosting of the Sidhe
from: Storm Before Calm (2002)

Cloudscape #1 : April 2010

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:19:50 +0000

Evening Of Light Cloudscape #1 : April 2010 by Evening Of Light on Mixcloud

Playlist with starting times in parentheses:

Review: Locrian – Rain of Ashes (2009)

Oscar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:45:09 +0000

artist: Locrian
title: Rain of Ashes
format: MC
year of release: 2009
label: Fan Death
duration: 29:55 (x2)

detailed info: discogs.com

The American drone duo Locrian (consisting of André Foisy and Terence Hannum) have been very productive in their few years of existence as a band, releasing an impressive number of releases on various formats and labels. If this tape, which is one of their latest, is any indication of the level of quality of the other recordings, it will be an essential discography to check out for guitar drone lovers.

Rain of Ashes is a single composition of a little under thirty minutes, for guitar, keys, and vocals, threading through different parts and atmospheres: ambient, ominous, intense, overwhelming. The development of the song is outstanding: it builds up gradually from pure high-pitched guitar wailings to something more dense and layered, and beyond. There are easily enough different parts in the composition to rule out boredom and repetition, a pitfall that plagues so many other drone artists. Over the course of Rain of Ashes, we also find some gentle organ parts, slow guitar parts with various effects, and a climax of all-out noise with distorted vocals and guitar.

Another nice touch is the B-side, which is actually the same composition but played in exact reverse. This adds a ghostly touch to many of the reverberating parts, besides being a fun experiment to put on a low-price tape like this. It also emphasises the strength of the composition, as I don’t mind listening to it twice in a row at all. Together, the two halves of the tape offer an hour of great music with a dark atmosphere of urban decay and fallen industry.

All in all, a very succesful tape release that’s easily worth its price. I’m not sure how limited it is, but I guess it’s still available, so go get it if you enjoy rough-edged drone music with highly varied compositions.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

A. Rain Of Ashes (29:55)

B. sehsA fO niaR (29:55)

A1		Rain Of Ashes	29:55
B1		Sehsa Fo Niar	29:55