Cristal "s/t" 3
[All is Number]
Two tracks of experimental noise from this Richmond, VA group. Both tracks are "named" after their running times, which I tend to find fairly uncreative because it lacks any suggestion of meaning or intent, but that's life. "13.43" opens with quiet hums, barely melodic in a way, using some crispy crackling sounds and fidgety clicking textures. At three minutes in everything fades to silence and comes back with a few similar texture and a slightly louder, harsher approach - more layering, more high-end distortion, etc. - but definitely not a true harsh noise style. Shortly thereafter the piece becomes almost completely silent with some melodic synth tones and whatnot, which is nice, but I'm bothered by the annoyingly low volume levels. Thick, pulsating low-end then starts to create a rhythm, and that rhythmic nature of things sticks around and changes over a few times, staying minimal, but decomposing into more distorted elements, eventually closing the piece with an almost concrete beat. "05.25" shifts rather quickly back and forth from dark ambient to somewhat typical harsh noise using thick walls of distortion and some sweeping high-end. A very clear recording quality with a tasteful level of volume and dynamic shifts adds to the compositions and allows for a great level of clarity to show through, but some of the quiet moments are almost too great a contrast to really be effective. The packaging is great here. The disc comes in a small jewel case that's thicker than average, and the disc rests in a plastic tray that slides out of the clear case. The two-sided insert contains great photographs of wires against a skyline and the tips of some buildings, and it has an artistic aesthetic to it. Very nice. It's hard not to be swayed into giving this a higher rating due to the professional appearance alone, but in all truth these two tracks are a little too haphazardly arranged to impress me. Portions of each are well executed, but those strengths are often abandoned too quickly without being fully explored, so you end up with two tracks that feel more like skeletons of ideas for an entire full-length record. Not bad, but more thought or effort needs to be placed on creating cohesive compositions. (6/10)
Running time - 19:08, Tracks: 2
[Notable tracks: both have their moments]
All is Number Records - http://www.allisnumberrecords.com

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