That injection of duration which separates an experience and one’s subsequent reflection upon it, that layer which brings doubt, makes man that animal of ambiguity, is here the source of clear fixation. With this audio-visual document, Sourpuss distills the emotional essence of loss into jagged structural edges and a harmonic syntax that is just beyond reach, resulting in an assertive, disorientating musical landscape of orchestral aspiration.
Without entirely excluding subtlety, Sourpuss at first pushes the central image as far as possible. Sliding violin lines quickly gather thrillingly brash and literal momentum. At this stage, admittedly, the visual accompaniment, which consists of a man outfitted as a skeleton wandering through abandoned, gelid landscapes, interspersed with shots of barren trees and soggy skies, makes one too many concessions to conventional notions of dread and lags somewhat behind in effectively expressing the central theme. Henceforth, however, as the story moves into the city, the pace and tone of the visuals interlace with and even energize the sentiments harbored in the music.
Half-way through the recording, the pounding energy of the second movement settles in on a manically reiterated high note. A beautifully skeletal arrangement for piano and violin follows in its wake, before clashing instrumental colors channel tension into a most utterly immersive sonic experience. Sourpuss moves from one intangible moment to the next, but in the unhurried vivacity of the closing segment, a small victory is found in the end.
Max Schaefer
