a r t i s t : Spiderwebs/Mike Tamburo & Matthew McDowell/Keenan Lawler
t i t l e : Strands Formerly Braided
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : music fellowship
g e n r e : Avantgarde
r l s. d a t e : Jun/2008
t r a c k s : 06
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 85,4 MB
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When you unbraid your hair, the strands remain curled and
contorted for some time. The act of braiding the strands
together affects the structure and fibers of the hair, taking
days or even weeks for the hair to relax back into its natural
position. This relationship between strands in a braid is
similar to relationships between people. Each interaction,
especially ones with close friends, affects and influences the
interactions you have later on. Thus, Strands Formerly Braided
is a fitting title for this edition of the Music Fellowship's
Triptych series because the three featured artists have a long
history of improvisation and collaboration.
Spiderwebs is the duo of Tom Carter and Sandy Ewen. Cater is
best known for his work with the landmark drone group
Charalambides, which he formed with longtime creative partner
Christina Carter. Since 2002, Carter has begun collaborating
with a wide range of other artists, from his work with 60φs
Australian folk poet and songwriter, Pip Proud, to his
improvisations with psychedelic stoner rock band Bardo Pond.
For this release, he teams with Sandy Ewen who has a long
history of improvisation as well, from her membership in
Houston's MECA improvisational ensemble to her performances in
the Nameless Sound Collective concert series and Austin's No
Idea festival.
Mike Tamburo has been a member of the Pittsburgh avant garde
music scene as an integral part of crystalline drumless drone
rock structures of Meisha and the more-free flowing ethnic
apocalypse music of Arco Flute Foundation, as well as
countless spontaneous performances and post-gathering improv
sessions. For this recording, we present one the best efforts
of these spontaneous performances, reteaming Tamburo with
Matthew McDowell of Arco Flute Foundation for a minimalist,
pacific 23-minute drone.
For over a decade, Louisville's R. Keenan Lawler has been
quietly evolving a highly personal and exploratory language on
the resonator guitar which has been called "cosmic, monolithic
and deeply American". His music is informed by sources ranging
from Carnatic classical, Charles Ives, Albert Ayler, blues,
minimalism and non western trance musics. Although primarily a
solo performer he is best known for his collaborative work.
The Keyhole II album he recorded with Pelt and metal worker
Eric Clark is one of Pelt's most beautiful and memorable
recordings, and the recording of his guitar playing in a sewer
pipe in Louisville is featured on Matmos' The Civil War. He
has also performed or collaborated with a wide range of
musicians including Rhys Chatham, John Butcher, Charalambides,
My Morning Jacket, Kevin Drumm, and Lukas Ligeti. For this
release, we present an exclusive recording from Lawler,
featuring his trademark National Steel Resonator guitar and
his unique method of playing with sound.
(http://www.musicfellowship.com)
This new 3-way split CD from the wonderful Music Fellowship
label offers another unique set of guitar-induced bliss from
an ambient/ drone perspective. On paper, the participation of
these musicians was already exciting, but the music featured
here is so rich in its overall scope that it is literally
breathtaking.
The title of the CD gives us a clue of the ways the music is
going to be experienced and shared. As we are invited to
immerse ourselves into the fabric of each sound, the links
between the pieces become more and more apparent and the flow
of the music a constant source of wonder.
In this respect, the first two tracks by Spiderwebs are
perfect examples of the understated beauty that pervades this
record. From the sweet electric guitar harmonics that open the
first piece to the slightly out-of-tune glissandos that are
woven through the second one, this is pure magic at work here.
Sometimes, the sounds of the guitar may evoke those of Tibetan
singing bowls which could have been recorded and manipulated
in real time as a means to escape the usual constraints of
strict tonality. The results are simply captivatingà
Those who know what Tom Carter is able to spin with his guitar
know how he can swirl the music round and invite us to
complete the picture through a simultaneously focused and
distracted listening.
It is exactly what the duo of Mike Tamburo and Matthew
McDowell has achieved in their masterful folk/ ambient epic
ôThe Uncontrollable Mr. Lechteö in all its 23 minutes glory.
It begins with a few, plainly-stated acoustic guitar chords
then quickly turns into a series of beautiful electro-acoustic
motifs that resonate through space like tiny electronic
butterflies.
By the time the track reaches its ethereal peak, the sounds
gradually dissolve into some kind of static before the
acoustic guitar briefly renters the picture with its broken
melancholic line. As the dissonant sound of an aircraft is
sharply outlined against the sky, the piece decides to take a
more melodic path that û in some respects û may recall the
work of Scott Tuma with its blend of carefully treated mouth-
harp and echoing guitar-derived drones. As the music wears
off, field recordings of nature sounds and insects are barely
heard while the off-beat comments that are disseminated
throughout this last section add a rather odd touch to the
piece.
The contributions by R. Keenan Lawler feature more of his
stellar meditations on the resonant National steel guitar.
They are filled with silences and contrasting overtones that,
in my opinion, are highly pregnant with a sense of history and
meaning that is always being transfigured. Actually, LawlerÆs
unique ability not only enables him to transcend the
instrument heÆs using, but also the hidden material that is
being filtered through as it is given shape. Whether this
relates to real or imaginary soundscapes, Lawler thus manages
to carve a voice out of territories that had only been
intuitively apprehended before.
ôLife Expectancy of A Roseö is divided into 3 parts of
approximately 10 minutes each. The first part introduces the
mood û filled with the spirit of the blues û, while the second
one reveals a decisively more restless kind of drive as the
acoustic space rapidly becomes suffused with subtle metallic
overtones. It is all that Lawler needs for his music to fully
bloom. Here, the faux-clumsy repetition of chords always
suggests more than what is being heard as the restrained level
of intensity that is maintained throughout actually testifies.
The third and final section begins with a few ethereal chords
that are accompanied by their ensuing metallic overtones. Yet
it rapidly expands and grows as Lawler constantly weaves
unstoppable strings of notes that gently saturate the space
while inducing a feeling of pure exhilaration. With Lawler,
the music can only become an instrument of joy, of
transfiguration, whatever the melodic material at hand. Again,
this is simply magicalà
No doubt each participant has managed here to give birth to
some highly exciting new music, the understated power of which
will never be completely exhausted. àYes, that's what you
could rightly call a true gem. 10/10 -- Francois Hubert (27
December, 2006)
(http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/reviews.php?
which=2025)
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01-Spiderwebs - New Zodiac [05:53]
02-Spiderwebs - Powderfinger [18:05]
03-Mike Tamburo & Matthew McDowell - The Uncontrollable [22:59]
Mr. Lechte
04-Keenan Lawler - Life Expectancy of A Rose pt. 1 [08:31]
05-Keenan Lawler - Life Expectancy of A Rose pt. 2 [10:32]
06-Keenan Lawler - Life Expectancy of A Rose pt. 3 [11:29]
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77:29 min