a r t i s t : Tony Conrad
t i t l e : Joan Of Arc
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : Table of Elements TOE077
g e n r e : Avantgarde
r l s. d a t e : Nov/2006
t r a c k s : 01
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 62,6 MB
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Apparently æJoan of ArcÆ is one of legendary experimentalist Tony
ConradÆs favourite compositions, and listening to it in itÆs entirety
makes it easy to see why. Composed entirely on an ageing pump organ
and improvised over the duration of a reel of quarter inch tape, only
eleven minutes were actually used for the film æJoan of ArcÆ which
Conrad wrote the piece for. It is hard to hear how eleven minutes
could successfully be culled however, as the music is seemingly as
locked to itÆs duration as William BasinskiÆs æDisintegration LoopsÆ,
the haunting tones drifting endlessly in and out of focus. This is a
piece of music which hinges on restraint, and funnily enough for a
piece recorded in 1968 it bears a striking similarity to so much of
the current trend in all things doomy and drone laden. Indeed in
ConradÆs slowly decomposing organ blasts there is more menace and
slow burning malevolence than in most drone metal records û IÆm sure
Sunn O))) will be taking note, letÆs put it that way. This is a
meditative experience though, a record which can be set playing and
changes your frame of mind instantly, absorbing you in itÆs dense
fog as it groans and buzzes through an hour of your life. Fans of the
dense ambience of Stars of the Lid or even Deaf Center should snap
this up without delay and drone fans should take a closer look at an
artist who helped shape a scene. Highly recommended.
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01-Joan Of Arc [64:32]
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64:32 min