Luasa Raelon "The Erebus and the Terror" CD
[Brise-Cul]
Named after the two ships commanded by Sir John Franklin, the Erebus and the Terror, that set sail from England in search of the Northwest Passage in 1845, I assume that the three untitled tracks herein make up a concept release, as many of the sounds reference the ocean and other such related natural environments and loosely tie the compositions together. At barely over six minutes the first piece begins with crashing waves and the crunchy sounds of someone walking along a beach with some birds in the distance. Occasionally synths swell forth for brief periods of time, gradually taking over as the track fades to a close. The next song is 13+ minutes of brooding synths, very spacious, at times getting a bit more caustic and distorted, but still minimal and reverberating. Some of the sounds reference the natural samples of the opening track (the ocean, the birds) and keep a continual thread going, though not as frequently. It's sort of a repetitive piece, but I like it in this context. The last track is another long one at more than 10 minutes, and is equally minimal, though a bit noisier and more abstract than the preceding tracks. Hissy distortion, hums and whirrs, sparse feedback, and static make up the bulk of the piece. Things are pretty repetitious until the final minute or so, as a few more ominous undertones bubble forth and things quiet down... a truly suffocating end. The recording quality is excellent in my opinion. Everything is loud and clear, with a nice mix and a good range of tones covered. I would have to assume that digital means were used, and I enjoy the results. The CD-R comes in a somewhat shoddy xeroxed sleeve where the imagery is a bit hard to make out due to the printing and reproductions being a little on the rough side. The back cover is some kind of arctic wasteland, and I believe the front is a desert. Inside is a small insert with additional artwork (an illustration of Sir John Franklin) and minimal text, stating that this work was inspired by "the weather in January and February 2003, the drive home from Indytron, Edgar Allen Poe, Lionel Marchetti, and especially Franklin's doomed final polar expedition". I think this sells for a very reasonable $4, though I do think the work deserves a far superior visual presence that is representative of the quality sounds. Good work. (6/10)
Running time - 30:37, Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: all three are untitled]
Brise-Cul Records - http://www.brise-cul-records.cjb.net

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