It begins with a flood of woolly electronics, a digitized bottom end bouncing around frenetically, accompanied by a shrill higher pitch, perhaps radio frequency. It doesn’t feel structured, the various frequencies coalescing into one body of sound like a huge piece of industrial machinery with a pulse. Josh Russell’s work is incredibly immerisve, his shimmering bottom end having a unique effect on the ears, a disorientating punch drunk feeling like you have been wrapped in cotton wool and spun around a few times. The sound is somehow familiar, yet not, perhaps it’s the timbre we recognise, the sounds that we normally block out that Russell has harnessed, and now has them behaving in different ways than we remember. Russell hits us with some noise, some staticy spluttery electrics that abruptly burst across the stereo image at quick yet intermittent intervals, later a micro drone, thin, pitched high, somehow soothing, gentle, evolving gradually, recalling bowed cymbals and religious ceremonies. This is Austin Texas based Russell’s fourth long player and not only are the various sounds incredibly articulated with a fine attention to detail, his transitions are nothing short of sublime. He is more than adept at developing a deep immersive sound world and subtly altering it over a period of time until you find yourself somewhere new entirely. This is the kind of electro acoustic sound art music you can lose yourself in. In fact I’d hesitate to think of another album of this ilk that utilises bottom end frequencies so well, yet with skips, hisses and feedback drones, Russell is always aware of the frequency spread, often using it as a tool to control dynamics. This is a fascinating accomplished work.
Bob Baker Fish
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