Paul Hood & Michael Rodgers - Castles

TwoThousandAnd 3++1

A 21-minute suite comprised of eight movements, “Castles” finds acoustic guitarist Michael Rodgers and turntablist/object amplifier Paul Hood venturing into rather unique territory from at least a couple of angles. Though not at all out of character from previous recordings, Rodgers’ essentially melodic and obliquely bluesy approach still comes as something of a surprise (a pleasant one) when the disc starts spinning. Right from the first track, he’s picking out delicate quasi-melodies, the notes resonating in a rich and traditional manner. At the beginning of the suite, Hood’s manipulated records and other detritus form a rough, abstract (though iterative) background for Rodgers’ strumming. On the lovely second track, “Three Scenes for the Black Fortress”, the guitarist gets deep into the thrum, pounding out chords with rhythmic urgency while Hood sends out loops of end grooves from platter interiors. But toward the end of the next cut, “Battledore”, Hood injects recorded dialogue from, apparently, some Arthurian production, slightly fractured and echoic, accompanied by Star Wars-type ray gun zaps. It’s a bit disorienting and the approach continues in various guises throughout the remainder of the disc. Rodgers occasionally veers off into Bailey territory (“Portcullis”) and Hood dips back into noise, but the specifically sourced material grows more and more salient, though also more highly distorted. The castles, as can be seen from the charming cover photograph, are of the inflatable variety and one presumes that the artifice found in the recorded sounds is an elaboration and commentary on this fantasy world. One can read the increased distortion in the voices as perhaps a growing childhood realization that those turrets aren’t made of stone and, if so, it’s an effective device. Portions of the last couple of tracks, in fact, are almost painful to listen to (one may well glance nervously at one’s speakers, fearing they’ve been blown), between the feedback-like hums and a hurdy-gurdy-like riff on the final piece that sounds as if broadcast from a $1.29 radio, on into the closing non sequitur of a call from a car race.

“Castles” is a quirky work but by and large an appealing one. I’m guessing continued listens might reveal more elements in its twisted narrative. It’s been issued in a limited run of 100 so, if you’re interested, don’t dally.

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