Western Australian Matt Rosner (who also records as Pablo Dali) follows up his stunning debut Alluvial a couple of years back with another series of earnestly subdued tones. At times it feels almost scientific, never giving into elements of melody or rhythm despite some gentle strumming of acoustic guitar and the use of other conventional instruments such as electric guitar, accordion and violin. There’s a certain controlled sparseness to his work as the resonances of each instrument delicately erode, colliding against electronically treated drones and field recordings. But just when you have it pegged as a universe of sound objects, a track like sift comes along with it’s delicate guitar noodling and makes you realise that it all exists closer to music than musique concrete, with its gentle nature providing a certain emotional connection despite its cool exterior and lack of compromise in form. Pieces seem firmly headed in one direction only to gradually morph midway seamlessly into a totally new world and rather than jarring the whole process feels somewhat soothing and welcoming. This is music that provides the joy of simply sitting and listening.
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