HZL - Ayes

White Flag
07

When I first opened the package containing this release, I saw that the disc I received contained a wedge of thin cracks radiating from about ¼ inch width at its center to about an inch at the rim. “Hmmm,” I thought, harking back to things like Christian Marclay’s “Record Without a Cover”, “Maybe this is intentional. Who knows these days?” So I dutifully put in into my CD player which refused to recognize its existence. Undaunted, I placed it in my Walkman and was rewarded with a low, clicking rumble but little else. Figuring my due avant diligence had been satisfied, I mailed Jesse Kudler and requested a replacement copy. Good thing.

HZL is Kudler and fellow young Philadelphian Tim Albro, collectively wielding guitars, electronics, radios and other objects, here presenting six beautifully restrained, subtly rich improvisations. The restraint is what really grabs me here, especially given the musicians’ youth. There’s no flash, no attempt to wow the listener, just a calm series of statements where the sounds unspool steadily but unhurriedly with a stream of activity occurring that’s surprisingly dense once you actually listen for it. Kudler studied with Alvin Lucier at Wesleyan and one is tempted to guess that his influence rubbed off more than a bit with regard to this duo’s ability to remain in a given zone for extended periods, patiently mining the area. More, I hear an indebtedness to the Rowe of the last six or seven years. If the decision-making isn’t at quite the level of profundity often achieved by that elder statesman, a similar sense of purpose seems to be very much in play. They tend to emerge out of silence, hover for a while as various elements make themselves known, leave traces and recede, then evaporate back into the dark. The first couple of tracks find the duo getting their footing but after that, things flow smoothly and deeply. If there’s a complaint on my part, in fact, it’s that on two or three occasions, Kudler and Albro insist on “polishing off” an improv with a bit of a flurry, as at the end of the third “Aye” (probably otherwise my favorite of the bunch) when some Sun Ra-ish synth-y tones appear. But generally, the decisions made are remarkably insightful and apt, something I’d dearly love to hear more of in practitioners this young. My interest never flagged.

Looking forward to hearing more from these two. For now (I can’t resist), The “Ayes” has it.

white flag