Embracing the Glass is East American duo Sean Carroll (guitar, electronics, effects) and Jeff Sampson (voice, etc), and they have been working together since 2001. This split CD-R is their third release, and features just one track by them. But what a track – it’s called ‘Dearly Departed’ and is half an hour long. Whilst the main tools used are voice and guitar, this is as far from a conventional pop record as it’s possible to get – instead this is an introspective, meditative slice of magickal, sepulchral ambience. In the opening section, the plangent guitar sounds and falsetto, wordless vocals bring to mind Sigur Ros – and as the piece continues, and the sounds become less recognisable, one is reminded of Nurse With Wound/Current 93′s ‘Die, Flip or Go to India’ or Popol Vuh’s ‘Vergegenwärtigung’. The conception, playing and production are utterly assured. The overall feel is like being stuck inside a huge, haunted castle, straight out of Poe or Lovecraft, where nameless terrors await the unwary.
On the second half of this disc are three tracks by Haslam, aka Byron Paladin, a solo artist from Jamaica Plain, Mass. Haslam’s works are purely instrumental. ‘How Many Tears’ is a huge empty space, where drones and long held tones drift in and out, in a manner similar to Eno’s ’2/2′. The mood darkens on ‘Train of Thought’ with isolated, high wailing notes over low bass drones and subterranean clunks – then a train-like rhythm of filtered noise breaks in, along with muffled underground explosions, and the atmosphere becomes bleak and icy. ‘Myopic Dreamscape’ more or less describes itself – a dreamlike, out-of-focus melange of drones and subtle melodies, which induces a pleasing state of beatific somnolence in the listener.
This is a superb album of dark ambience and deep thought – the two acts complement each other perfectly, and it’s very easy to become completely absorbed, and play the whole disc in one go.
For MP3 previews click here. [NB This is a limited release of 100 copies]
Ewan Burke
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