Little things cast in soft focus, small textural gestures that express the equilibrium and fluctuations of a sleeping force – such is the way of the second compilation, Little Things, from the Japanese label Flau. Material is culled from artists dotted around the globe, yet It’s all music that is found, felt, and rendered anew by a strong and clear sonic sensibility.
The songs unfurl as a well mannered and organized succession of events. An impressive command of sonic detail is evident in the tracks offered by most artists, the first of whom is Jasper Leyland, with a tasteful autumnal piece that is brimful of tiny quivers, evanescent shivers and sudden shifts of digital space. This is followed by a motley of sounds by well-known and obscure musicians alike, both of which hit a number of high points. From the latter camp, Rachael Dadd offers stochastic shards of radio static coupled with small bell tones and a waltz of piano chords set to a rather charming lyrical melody. One of the glitch wranglers on the disc, Cokiyu’s “Round In Fog” amounts to one of her strongest works, its rhythmic pings and static electricity slowly ebb and flow against the warm, diffused modulation of ambient textures and her own flitting bird-like voice. On the more lo-fi end of things, Part-Timer comes out with a simple, yet thoroughly touching piece, as a frail melody from a guitar is scattered over a harmonium drone and is lifted along by a clip-clop beat, and some languid female vocals. Though a small number of pieces amount to little more than dead weight, the album is a wholehearted success in its exhibition of and participation in a shared passion for all things slight and seldom seen.
Max Schaefer
