The album opens with “Twofold
Covering,” which feels kind of creepy, kind of intense right from the start, like
it’s stalking you, and you can’t shake it, because there is something steady in
the rhythm. You feel like something is going to explode at any moment; the
sound is dangerous, intriguing. And in the moments when it gets quieter, it is
actually more frightening, ominous. Nearing the end, the guitar has something
of a psychedelic quality, a serious trip, indeed. Then in the last few minutes
you just become enveloped by the sound, by the whirring advance. And this is
all performed live, which you don’t sense during the track, the applause at the
end coming as a surprise. “Twofold Covering” was originally included on Sonar’s
Static Motion. That’s followed by “Waves
& Particles,” which also begins with a something of a steady groove, then
builds on it from there, creating a very different sensation, conjuring images
of otherworldly dances at moments, performed by pixies or sprites. The band
doesn’t go too solidly in that direction, refrains from getting immersed in
that realm. And certain elements sound like some kind of military radio tuning
into the proceedings, which give us a different perspective of the action of
the music, where perhaps our observation is affecting it in some way, making it
act in some strange unnatural fashion. “Waves & Particles” was originally
included on the band’s Vortex album,
an album that also featured David Torn.
Another composition from Vortex is “Red Shift,” which has a
different sort of rhythm, to keep you just a bit on edge, off balance. But the
guitars work to create a strange welcoming, a doorway we willingly pass through.
Things scurry about at our feet, but we can’t focus too much on them, for our
attention is more at eye level, and the world around us keeps changing, and we
peer more intently ahead, as the music grows quieter. Then toward the end the
music builds and rises from the ground to fill the atmosphere, and we breathe,
move through it and with it. “Tromsø” begins quietly, then begins pulsing,
approaching. And we have a decision – step out of its way, or see what it will
do with us. But the pounding of the tom stops, as if waiting to see what we’ll
do. Then, perceiving no action on our part, it begins again, rising then receding.
At one point it seems ready to overtake us, though by then we are digging the
groove, which becomes heavier, the bass at the heart of the beast.
“For Lost Sailors” feels like
tuning for a moment when it starts. This track grows in intensity too, like a
methodical electronic fire devouring whatever may lie in its path, forever
hungry, never satisfied. And chaos results from its destructive progress. The
smoke clears to reveal an emptiness, and we tentatively step out into it,
effectively nullifying the void with our presence, and there are touches of
hope in that. Is this electronic pulse our own pulse? “For Lost Sailors” was
composed by David Torn. The CD then concludes with “Lookface!” which bursts in
with a heavy rock sound, catching us off guard. There is a chaotic feel, but
something rises in the middle, attempting to assert control, to tame the
electronic specters. And for a moment it is successful. But it is then things
turn strange, and you have to stay on your toes, and what survives, what
thrives, is some combination of this force and ourselves.
CD Track List
- Twofold Covering
- Waves & Particles
- Red Shift
- Tromsø
- For Lost Sailors
- Lookface!
Live At Moods was released on November 16, 2018.
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