Harm Stryker & Birds in the Meadow w/ Brian Jones "Processing Quartet" CD
[804noise]
This limited edition CD-R consists of a 35-minute live collaboration featuring Kenneth Yates from Harm Stryker (electronics and processed saxophone), Birds in the Meadow (Marty McCavitt - laptop and processed percussion, Darius Jones - alto saxophone), and Brian Jones (percussion), recorded live on October 24, 2004 at Artworks in Richmond, VA using two minidisc recorders.  Things start off with sparse saxophone notes being chewed up by watery electronic effects, but things don't really start to pick up until a few minutes in as the manipulations start to feel thicker and more substantial.  Shortly thereafter it's rounded out by similar treatments given to shuffling percussion (lots of which is focal snare and cymbal work - prominent, but far from overpowering, thankfully).  There are lots of glitchy, swirling electronics, a good deal of stereo panning, some cutup styled spurts of sound that break in and out and swirl around, etc.  The second passage of the set is a little quieter, with saxophone resting farther in the background behind relatively sparse percussion treatments and similarly structured fidgeting electronic outbursts.  I personally am not really into saxophone (as an instrument, period, not specifically the way it's used here), but it does work a little better in this second wave where it becomes both more melodic and more abstract at times.  This kind of approach continues for the next five to 10 minutes but does shift and change its delivery, so the overall tone is consistent but the actual sounds differ quite a bit, as electronics gradually shift back and the percussion becomes more of a full drum set beat that's almost rather concrete.  It's actually my favorite section of the entire event where the drums and sax both lock in for brief hints at a more musical tangent that's backed very nicely by strangely rumbling/swirling electronic noise.  I'm not sure why the tracks are broken up the way they are, as the first area that truly feels like a break comes between the third and fourth tracks, so the first three track divisions really play out more like one complete 14-minute segment, etc.  It's no big deal, it just seems a little strange at that first chunk.  The last few tracks are a little noisier and get kind of harsh at times, but it's still spaced out and broken up in a manner that makes it very bearable, so it's not something that's trying to peel your face off or anything like that at all.  The CD-R comes in a screenprinted sleeve (a few in blue ink on black paper, most in yellow ink on black paper) with minimal artwork and rough text that makes a nice little presentation for a D.I.Y. affair.  Not bad.  Some moments are better than others of course, but overall it's an interesting and rather unique little piece, and it's been documented well both with a simple yet effective presentation and a surprisingly nice recording.  It's definitely got the thick warmth that you'd expect from a live performance, but it's not muddy at all, and actually sounds pretty impressive considering.  It's limited to 50 copies at $5 a pop, so... check it out. (7/10)
Running time - 35:14, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: they're all untitled]
804noise - http://www.804noise.org

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