lvjcdr021
cd-r,
edition of 50
31:51
August
2010
Wet Amen (31:51)
12.4.2010 @ Studio La-Bas
Pla, Nosfe, Tommi, Bon Jarno, Re-clip
One
long cosmic jam; a maze of sound, out of which careful listener will find
several different ways; a sonic path to enlightement, perhaps.
"The future will be full of joy, bright and safe."
*
Yksi pitkä, kosminen jami; äänen labyrintti,
josta tarkkaavainen kuuntelija löytää useita reittejä ulos; äänen polku
valaistumiseen, kai.
"Tulevaisuus
on iloa täynnä, kirkas ja turvattu."
************
REVIEW
"Ever
since I was a teenager, I’ve always been trying to find the way to best answer
the question “What kind of music do you listen to?” At the age of 13, our
replies start with “anything but country”, and then “Seattle-based alternative
rock and 70s Miles Davis kind of stuff”, before finally landing on more
appreciable (ha!) claims such as “late 60s free jazz, outsider folk, and contemporary
indie pop.” Then, after yet another night of staying up late, listening to the
latest package from Eclipse, Squidco, or Mimaroglu, getting a little tired of
yet another Evan Parker solo album/ad hoc collaboration, and noting the
brilliance of such artists as Burning Star Core, Volcano The Bear, or Richard
Youngs, one begins to think, “what I’m really looking for is a distinct,
recognizable voice (what Brian Marley – I thiiiink – referred to as a
“ur-drone”) that runs through all the work of an artist, no matter what form
the work in question might be taking. When a person listens to a shitload of
music across the largest possible variety of genres, unless one has a real,
devoted interest in the minutiae of a given style, you gotta find some way to
separate the things that demand your attention, and the things that seem too
boringly familiar or otherwise unremarkable.
"The era of music production that encapsulates the ability to produce pro-level
releases for a relatively minimal cost has left us with two circumstances.
Anyone is able to create as much of as whatever they like with the greatest
ease every known to the independent artist. This is a good thing, based on the
positive manifestations of this reality. By this logic, artists like Derek Bailey,
Jandek, Matt Valentine, R. Stevie Moore, James Ferraro, and Conrad Schnitzler
wouldn’t have optimized their impact as they did without the option (or, in
some cases, setting the example) of self-publishing and/or artist-run labels
and imprints. Obviously a good thing. But, and I’m sure this is an old and
tired argument, but the sheer volume of dreck let loose by this system is quite
uncontrollable. I would reckon that the positives of this scenario outweigh the
negatives, but there is a lot of really middling/unmemorable/derivative stuff
out there, and it gets lavishly released and is circulating among the good
stuff. It can be tough to find this “ur-drone” in one or two of an artist’s
releases, but, more often than not, it’s not a mystery when something has that
kind of singular magic.
"Sadly, the album ‘Wet Amen’, by Finnish group Grey Park, falls into that
unmentionable grey zone of people-with-gear activity. I love dearly the promise
of noise/experimental/improvised music, that one or a group can pick up
instruments and start making stuff right away, because it’s a grand and
important notion. And I feel odd being the judge of whether or not these
activities are considered to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’. But I guess I feel that given
this freedom and openness of form, one should be self-critical, and truly
committed to the act of doing something original. I dunno, I’ll pass." (Jonathan Ronler / Foxy Digitalis)
