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"HiGH ▀ iNTELLiGeNCE tRoLLS"
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a r t i s t : VA
t i t l e : Kompilation
d a t e : 2004
l a b e l : Kranky 077
g e n r e : Other
r l s. d a t e : November/2004
t r a c k s : 21
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 255,1 MB
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We'll provide the context--two compact discs filled with twenty
one tracks. Over 148 minutes of music. Brand new music from
Pan American. A preview of forthcoming albums from Stars of
the Lid and Keith Fullerton Whitman. An exclusive mix of an
album track by Greg Davis. All priced CHEAP at less than the
cost of a CD EP. It's been years since there's been a kranky
sampler (and that one came out in Europe only) so it's time to
show what we've been up to for the last few years. Way back
when compilations like 'Pillows and Prayers' and 'Wanna Buy a
Bridge?' inspired us to check out tons of bands. Hopefully
Kompilation can perform the same function for today's fans.
http://www.kranky.net
Pitchforkmedia Review (8.0/10):
Let's face it: Any record label worth its weight in promotional
sweatbands can ride the backs of a few talented acts and enjoy
a couple years of glory. The real litmus test--as recent
compilations by such veteran imprints as Merge and Matador have
demonstrated--is what happens to a label once it begins to
undergo significant turnover; how it recovers and redefines
itself when its top bands break up, defect to greener pastures,
or otherwise descend into inactivity. Does the label shrivel
and fade into memory, or does it have the taste, persistence,
and clout necessary to reload its roster and maintain its
relevance?
By this measure, the decade-old Chicago-based Kranky has to be
considered a resounding success, as evidenced by this 21-track,
two-disc sampler. Most of the faces here are relative label
newcomers (only three of the 18 acts presented also appeared on
Kranky's 1998 Europe-only compilation) but nevertheless this
collection amply proves Kranky capable of sustaining its high
level of quality while simultaneously performing the rare feat
of preserving a coherent and immediately recognizable (if not
easily definable) aesthetic.
In the latter half of the 90s, Kranky released seminal
recordings by the likes of Labradford, Godspeed You Black
Emperor!, and Low. Records by artists such as Jessamine and
Bowery Electric feel, in retrospect, like transitional works
for the label, representative of those zany post-rock days when
experimental-minded, rock-bred performers began segueing into
the freer realms of improv, abstract electronica, dub, and
minimalism. As Kompilation makes evident, this transition is
now complete--there's hardly a peep on either of these two
discs that bears anything but the most indirect relation to
rock. Despite widely divergent instrumentation and methods, all
of the artists showcased here share certain genetic traits: an
appreciation for empty space, talent for gradually unfurling
melodies, and the infinite patience required to stalk
transcendence.
On disc one Kranky immediately throws down the gauntlet,
exhibiting such an imposing mountain of drone that it almost
feels as if the listener has been presented with a dare. The
set opens with "Even If You're Never Awake", a track from Stars
of the Lid's forthcoming album, which seems appropriate
considering that the duo has always produced what is perhaps
the purest distillation of the Kranky sound. Voiceless
soundwaves throb and swell glacially over the course of eight
minutes, and as always Stars of the Lid marvelously capture the
chilly shape-shifting of ice shelves slowly receding beneath
the northern lights. Keith Fullerton Whitman keeps the drone
flowing with his appropriately named new piece "Stereo Music
for Serge Modulator Synthesizer" which sounds something like a
set of bagpipes decaying in time lapse.
Other highlights of the first disc include an exclusive track
from the always-captivating Pan American and an alternate mix
of "Campestral" by electronic microtexturalist Greg Davis. The
only significant misstep is Growing's "Primitive
Associations/Great Mass Above" which skirts dangerously close
to New Age territory with its field recordings of chirping
birdies. Although all of the artists here are usually best
appreciated in album-length doses, these pieces manage to
complement one another unusually well in this more abbreviated
context.
One of Kranky's biggest recent artistic coups was their recent
alliance with Texan psych-folk juggernaut Charalambides. This
collection features a pair of entrancing solo works by group
members Christina and Tom Carter, and Kompilation's second disc
kicks off with the title track from Charalambides' recent
masterpiece Joy Shapes. The ecstatic nature of the group's
improvisational vocals and guitar may seem out of keeping with
some of the fussier, more distanced pieces neighboring them
here; but their dazzling, ocean-wide sound and heavenward
yearning correspond perfectly with Kranky's broader objectives.
More dynamic than the first disc (a couple of tracks even
feature decadent luxuries such as percussion), the collection's
second disc trips down memory lane, exploring Kranky's recent
history. Previously released tracks like Jessica Bailiff's
"Swallowed", Clear Horizon's "For Days", or Outhud's "Dad,
There's a Little Thing Called Too Much Information" obviously
aren't particularly new anymore, but still they all sound just
dandy lined up so neatly together in a row. At record's end,
Kranky thoughtfully drop us back off where we began with Stars
of the Lid, going all the way back to 2001's "Requiem for the
Dying Mothers Part 2" where we find them still placidly rolling
the same boulder up the same hill.
Featuring nearly 150 minutes of music--and carrying a retail
price comparable to that of your average EP--Kompilation has to
qualify as one of 2004's best musical bargains. (In fact, if
you want to factor value into the equation, go ahead and
mentally bump the above rating up a couple of notches.) If
you're an established Kranky hardliner, the new tracks and low
cost pretty much make this a must-grab; and if you've always
been intrigued by the label's output but been too shy to
introduce yourself, this is as painless an initiation as you
could hope for. It sure looks from here like everybody is a
winner. --Matthew Murphy
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com
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CD1
01-Stars Of The Lid--Even If You're Never Awake (Version) [08:19]
02-Keith Fullerton Whitman--Stereo Music For Serge [05:43]
Modular Synthesizer (Excerpt)
03-Pan American--What Do They Dream? [09:10]
04-Autistic Daughters--The Glasshouse And The Gift-Horse [06:34]
05-Christina Carter--Silhouette [07:21]
06-Greg Davis--Campestral (Textured) [05:28]
07-Growing--Primitive Associations/Great Mass Above [12:36]
08-The Dead Texan--When I See Scissors I Can't Help But [04:06]
Think Of You
09-Tom Carter--Monument II (Edit) [07:41]
10-Loscil--Sickbay [06:12]
CD2
01-Charalambides--Joy Shapes [10:59]
02-Brent Gutzeit--Piano Motor Skills #2 (Edit) [08:53]
03-Strategy--Drumsolo's Delight [05:32]
04-Pan American--Inside Elevation [05:08]
05-Keith Fullerton Whitman--Schnee [07:13]
06-Clear Horizon--For Days [07:17]
07-Out Hud--Dad, There's A Little Thing Called Too Much [07:30]
Information
08-Fontanelle--Monday Morning [07:15]
09-Jessica Bailiff--Swallowed [04:03]
10-Christmas Decorations--Build A House [03:30]
11-Stars Of The Lid--Requiem For Dying Mothers Part 2 [07:38]
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148:0
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