New reviews of Hymns releases

http://startlingmoniker.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/reviews-for-12909/

Chefkirk & Ironing – “Notorious” – Hymns

Andrew Chadwick’s Hymns label is something of a staple ingredient for my broadcasts; his microcassette work and general enthusiasm for cut-up radio bacchanalia is always a joy to hear. This time around Ironing’s tapes get some no-input mixer and sampler material from Chefkirk to co-exist with, a combination that reminds me of Hollydrift’s radio/electronic drone experiments, but with less of a dark mood. The partnership also allows both a bit more ability to explore more nuanced sounds, from barely-there high end tones to drawn-out tape washes. Fans of Grundik Kasyansky’s “Light and Roundchair” will definitely dig this disc as well– although “Notorious” approaches these sounds from a very different angle, it is fascinating to see convergent ideas emerge.

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Dubbio Nil "Seed, Fruit, Thorn" 3" CDR Hymns Genre: experimental Gainesville, FL December 2009

This sixteen minute composition is rooted firmly in the ambient drone tradition, constructed largely around the sorts of expansive synth tones that get Steve Roach all itchy. Over the duration of Seed, Fruit, Thorn, Dubbio Nil's Loren Knack segues through several distinct timbres and textures, ranging from radiant keyboard drone to understated, pedal-based noise. Although confined to one audio track on the CDR, the piece is divided into three distinct parts -- strangely, these segments are not intended to represent the Seed, the Fruit, and the Thorn, but are instead organized according to some other, unspecified context. The first chapter is a resplendent, keyboard-based journey to the centre of the Sun, while the second is an unsettling bit of machinelike industrialism. But Knack retains the best moment for last -- the track's final section leads the listener into what sounds like a digital forest, with lugubrious synths and audio of rainfall providing a woods-like feel. Amid the unmistakably naturalistic sound, digital thunder claps add menace to the brew. Ultimately, it's a solid finish to a striking experimental release. dubbio nil's myspace Michael Tau