Esquilo
ES007
After hearing several recent discs that list to the softer, more melodic end of contemporary improv, Minamo’s “A Herdsman’s Life” comes along and gives a substantial further shove in that direction. A single 27 minute cut, it maintains a fairly steady state feel overall with clear, ringing piano notes floating above a mini-cosmos of insectile chirps, frog calls, vaguely threatening hums and static emissions. Those first two serve to connote a generally sub-tropical environment within which one tends to read the piano and, later, guitar as languid, even melting elements. While the sunny tonal nature of the piece recalls O’Rourke circa “Bad Timing”, the subsidiary noise provides at leas a small buttress against the overly sweet. Toward the end, the electronics splinter off and create a sound-world remarkably similar to some Henry Kaiser Synclavier work from the late 80s. Referents abound, actually; you can sit and listen, ticking off what this or that section brings to mind. Penguin Café Orchestra here, Daniel Lentz there. It may not be the most substantial bit of music I’ve heard in the last year, but there’s something earnestly appealing about it. When the acoustic guitar becomes more insistent at the close, entwined with those Kaiserian electronics, it’s like a puppy pawing at your knees for attention—a little annoying but loveable.
Posted by Brian Olewnick on October 15, 2006 9:57 AMHow does this compare to their other stuff Brian? Sound pretty much identical to me, but I enjoy them so that's not a bad thing. 'Beautiful' I probably enjoy the most as it seems the best layered progressively, though 'Wakka' certainly has it's moments of puppilycloying prettyiness
Posted by: steve barberry at October 16, 2006 5:04 PMI've only heard ".kgs" of theirs before which I recall liking and, iirc, was roughly in the same territory. I'll have to relisten and get back to you.
Posted by: Brian Olewnick at October 16, 2006 5:50 PMPersonally I much prefer .kgs and Shrine / Nest. This one isn't as pretty pretty as some of the stuff on Beautiful, but it comes across as rather twee.
Posted by: Dan Warburton at October 16, 2006 9:58 PMDan:
"Personally I much prefer .kgs and Shrine / Nest. This one isn't as pretty pretty as some of the stuff on Beautiful, but it comes across as rather twee."
just curious: as a general rule, when you say this kind of thing, I assume you're relying on memory for the older ones? or do you make a habit of going back and revisiting an artist's catalog when you get a new release by them?
on topic: I'm not much of a Minamo fan, including this new one, but I do have a nice unreleased duo CD-R somewhere by Tetsuro Yasunaga and Utah Kawasaki.
Posted by: jon abbey at October 16, 2006 11:14 PM"as a general rule, when you say this kind of thing, I assume you're relying on memory for the older ones? or do you make a habit of going back and revisiting an artist's catalog when you get a new release by them?"
Yes if I'm reviewing it (I made a point of listening to all my Kurzmann albums for the Wire piece, plus about half the Charhizma catalogue while I was writing), no if I'm not (unless piqued by curiosity to do so). Which means of course I could be in for a nasty surprise if I go back to the early Minamo CDs! (But there ARE NO nasty surprises in Minamo, are there? Ô for a nasty surprise once in a while..).. Hope this helps..
I actually think all the minamo I've heard could be considered "rather twee."
I'm also not sure if i really like them or if I just have low expectations of them("ahh, that will be pleasant enough and completely undistracting") so that they usually fulfill what I'm looking for.
Posted by: steve barberry at October 17, 2006 10:13 AMtest
Posted by: jon abbey at October 17, 2006 10:28 AMIs that a plug for the famous NY free jazz quartet Jon, or your comment on the fact that uploading shit to this website seems to take longer and longer.. Derek, tell Emory (if he exists) to polish up the tubes and speed things up, willya?
Posted by: Dan Warburton at October 17, 2006 11:00 AMkind of the latter, more irritation that I can't see people's comments hours after they've been posted. I figured out a way around it now, though, type in a fake comment and hit preview, then it shows you everything.
but yeah, there are definite server problems. too full?
Posted by: jon abbey at October 17, 2006 11:15 AM.................................................. © 2003 - 2006 bagatellen ..................................................