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The Drift - Noumena
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Year :: 2005
Label :: Temporary Residence
Cat No :: TRR86
Genre :: Lo-Fi/Jazz/Ambient/Post-Rock
Tracks :: 06
Size :: 69,4 MB
Source :: CDDA
Bitrate :: VBRKBps
Rel. Date :: 22/10/2005
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So hard to pick a genre, went with lo-fi as a
catch'all, see above for a more detailed assesment.
The Drift do exactly what they say on the tin; they
drift! Whether this is through choleric clouds of
diffused soundscapes ('Gardening, Not Architecture'),
snowfalls of sunny post-rock ('Hearts Are Flowers')
or driving gusts of jazz ruptured
multi-instrumentalism ('Transatlantic'), it seems to
completely cloak the senses; starting in the ears and
working its way around. The debut album from this San
Fransisco outfit, 'Noumena' will appeal equally to
fans of Tarentel as those of Miles Davis and has
enough spike to keep the oft wide-eyed musings from
becoming dull. -boomkat
A release from the Temporary Residence label, a
suggestive band name, a former member of Tarentel,
with most songs exceeding 10 minutes in length and a
member on trumpet, fluegelhorn, and electronics. One
might be forgiven for having certain expectations
from The Drift's debut album. In many respects, those
expectations are likely to be met û much of this
album does indeed drift, in a shimmering, ambient
post-rock way. I know, the label "post rock"
shouldn't be used anymore, but I don't mean it to be
descriptive here of anything more than the image it
conjures.
The surprise here is that this four-piece brings both
an unexpected energy to the songs as well as a
distinctly jazzy sensibility. Think stretched-out
Miles Davis jams composed by Ennio Morricone. Not
that this is that good, but what would be? At points,
this does close in on the gold ring, but the band has
difficulty overcoming a certain languor that holds
them back.
The slow, dramatic opener "Gardening, Not
Architecture" emerges from murky electronics with
delicate guitar chiming and a thick, slow rhythm
section, with long, held trumpet notes. "Invisible
Cities" is perhaps the most overtly cinematic track,
very dramatic with guitar and trumpet that give it
the aforementioned Morricone feel while the jazzier
upright bass takes it somewhere else. With a strong
beginning and end, this song is an example of the
album's peskiest issue: editing, or a lack thereof.
There's definitely a place for long, drawn-out songs,
but the middle portion of "Invisible Cities" seems
too self-absorbed, and outlasts its welcome by
several minutes. Its static nature feels like a
stationary bike, going around and around but not
getting anywhere. When the band eventually kicks in
again it should feel like a breakthrough, not a
relief.
That song's title may sound familiar to readers,
being from Italo Calvino. The liner notes indicate
that the song is taken from that writing, though what
it means to take music from writing is open to
conjecture. Two of the other songs, including the
opener, are from Eno's Oblique Strategies card
series. In concert with titles like "Inconsistency
Principle" (bands riffing on Heisenberg? what's this
world coming to?), some might tag this as
pretentious, but that's certainly not fair since
others will call it welcome exploration. Ultimately,
the music stands fairly well on its own, so perhaps
it's a moot point.
"Transatlantic" takes its sweet time getting
anywhere, but it's a trancey, more consistent journey
than some of the others. While it would be even
stronger with a tighter time scale, it nonetheless
works well. Once the band decides to up the energy
level a notch, the song fastens itself to a
fast-moving bass pulse and solid drumming with
delayed guitar and trumpet which make it a
modernized, vaguely dubbified Miles Davis. While in
need of overall tightening, each song here is a
rewarding listen and, in a comfortable live setting,
would be something to see. -dusted
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[01] Gardening, Not Architecture [11:04]
[02] Invisible Cities [13:27]
[03] Hearts Are Flowers [08:35]
[04] Transatlantic [12:27]
[05] Inconsistency Principle [06:08]
[06] Fractured Then Gathered (Reprise) [04:19]
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UK Independent