The latest elusive missive from Chemins is one track; ‘New Peaks through Old Holes’. Unlike the predecessors it is very quiet and minimal. Guitar and resonant effects, slight sounds in the background, definitely a headphone piece. In their aim towards enigmatic status they take the minimal to a sense of farce, beyond the sense of any particular aim or goal. Perhaps it is just discrete sounds in space and a few soundboard tunings or effects that amuse the arts school student. Definitely no filling stadiums with this sound, perhaps an art gallery would lap them up with a bit of white on white geometric play signifying …..
About 15 minutes into the 23.46 minute track they start getting serious, or at least creating a semblance of activity, the profusion of static effect, synth manipulation at low level hum, cut in by guitar and either a manipulated sample of a clarinet or a modified electronic trope. Then patter oscillation, for quite some time, recurrence of some previous themes and a build on the overall sound depth and texture.
Generally this anonymous Helsinki group give my brain a more through workout, pushing the senses to a state of arousal and the mind to the end of its tether trying to grasp some form of the notation or language on display. Then 3 minutes to the end, they blast you with a frenetic guitar and static attack, definitely some satiated pleasure, if music is reduced to stimulation of the nervous system. Overall it was a quiet and disjointed end to the CDR series which has been highly disturbing, by which I mean generally difficult challenging sound.
Innerversitysound
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