For their debut collaborative effort Garnish, twenty six year old Argentinian guitarist Federico Barabino and veteran American electronicist Don Campau worked on a series of simple, understated improvisational excursions that blur several genre boundaries.
Garnish sees Barabino and Campau utilise instrumentation including guitar, electronics, drums and inside piano to create six tracks that expand on electro-acoustic music aesthetics. The title track opens with various frequencies, used sparingly in the styles of Derek bailey and Fred Frith, referencing improv approaches whilst throwing in an occasional jazzy guitar chord to provide a counterpoint. Providing a window into otherworldly space blues is Felling A Copla, a battle between guitar and synthesiser that brings to mind Cream’ Sunshine Of Your Love, as mentally recreated by Chris Smith and Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood. Belleza Que Renance displays the oft-fascinating interplay between Barabino’ guitar and Campau’ electronics, with processed and layered guitars bringing to mind guitar deconstructionist Oren Ambarchi and John Fahey’ later recordings for the Table Of The Elements label.
The Light Into Darkness is not so effective, with the arrangements for bass guitar, electric guitar and drum regularly veering towards a smoother jazz territory that although pleasant is at odds with the album as a whole. Likewise, Tan-Tie stumbles, with its comparative lack of focus and an occasionally formulaic organisation of sounds sounding flat in comparison to the other tracks.
The occasional misstep aside, as an example of the merits of the increased fluidity between generation, technology and distance, Garnish succeeds through Barabino and Campau’ willingness to challenge their predisposed creative methodologies to create a truly unified result.
Andrew Tuttle
