7.5 out of 10Back in February 09 EIC interviewed Peter Christopherson (Throbbing Gristle, Coil, etc.), towards the end of the interview Mr. Christopherson mentioned his newest project "Soisong", which is a collaboration with Ivan Pavlov (COH, Chessmaster). In the interview he said "I think I may be more proud of it, than anything else so far.."
First off something has to be said about the albums packaging, which is geometric shapes cut an folded to house an octagonal cd, yes an octagon. It's pretty amazing looking actually. The packaging is almost as abstract as the music it self, which is Classical infused electronic music with hints of Jazz and Industrial experimentations throughout. Track 1 begins with strung out piano chords/twinkles that are sustained, panned, and cut over a light & crisp guitar sound. Eventually a low end bassy synth comes in keeping the whole minimal piece in balance. A relaxing start to a bizarre baroque-esque white noise soundtrack. Track 2, "T-hu Ri Toh", is one of the few tracks that has vocals, which are no doubt synthesized vowels created by machine. Coil fans will feel right at home with this track. The overall vibe of the album goes from super relaxing, to somewhat horrifying, back to calm again, all while maintaining a minimal minimalist persona.
Overall "XAJ3Z" (whatever that means) is a pretty fluid album from beginning to end. If you're a fan of "experimental" music such as Coil, the darker "Jazz" stylings of Angelo Badalamenti, etc. or the minimalist side of Classical music like Arvo Part Soisong will indeed offer you up something "fresh" and interesting. Would I consider it a "must own" for people unaware of Mr. Christopherson's genius? No. Would I consider it a "must own" for all Gristle/Coil-heads? Yes, and then some.
Standout Tracks: T-hu Ri Toh, J3z, Dtorumi (great drumming/vocals, kind of dubby), Ti-Di-Ti Naoo (cute and disturbing, love this track)
No comments:
Post a Comment