Having previously disseminated work on limited vinyl, CD-R, and cassette releases, Portland’s Aaron Davis here grants his long-evolving ACRE project its widest exposure yet. Existing in 500 copies and tucked into an eye-popping neon orange sleeve, Isolationist is also accurately titled: it’s the sound of one person honing in on a single idea with undistracted precision. That idea is a sustained minimalist drone – presumably from an analogue synthesizer – that modulates slowly enough that it can seem to not change at all if close attention isn’t paid. In fact, it’s an understatement to say that the more the listener invests in ACRE, the greater the rewards.
These three untitled tracks range in length from 12:43 to 21:58. If that seems like a long haul for such delicate, often subliminal changes in tone, it drifts along with an contagious calm. That’s not to say it’s entirely placid; the third track first rumbles in the distance by way of setting the stage, and when the odd hiccup or burp emerges, it’s an instinctual thrill. The CD sleeve’s legend “innovate don’t imitate” recalls the missives printed on Flying Saucer Attack albums, and there’s a shared spirit of horizon-chasing bliss to ACRE. But there’s also something voluminous about the drone, begging repeated exposure and increases in volume. It’s not a plane of sound, then; it’s a sphere.
Doug Wallen
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