Making ambient music under the name Clutter is bound to get people thinking about the inimitable Cluster, but British sound artist/composer Shaun Blezard is doing his own thing humbly enough that no real homage seems intended. Self-released on 3-inch CD-R, this EP sprang from improvised recordings using laptop, iPhone, Nintendo DS, and effects. The opening title track trickles with field recordings of rain and swells with what sound like synthesised strings. Part audio diary entry, part would-be film score, it’s six minutes of mellowing depth and introspective study.
“On Your Parade’ also utilises field recordings from outside Blezard’ home, incorporating birds, sirens, church bells, car alarms, and possibly bagpipes. Like the previous track, it mingles its natural origins with the thump and ripple of subtle, homespun electronics until they’ve merged. “Pollen & Scatter’ has more glitch-y beats and an industrial hum, while “The Edge Of Possible’ mines shivering keys amid ominous background turbulence. So there’ an uniting quality to these tracks, but at the same time, each has its specific charms. And as chill ambient excursions, they are completely successful.
The press kit posits an overlap between electro-acoustic improvisation, ambient electronics, and musique concrète, but that’s overstating it. This music is more simple and pure than all that, and at its best, we completely forget the tools and genres at work.
Doug Wallen
