Here's some interesting experimental dark ambient from this one-woman project out of Georgia. The music seems to be largely derived from stringed instruments and effects with the occasional use of vocals mixed deep in behind the music (some whispered, some in a nice monotone singing voice). Some tracks are obviously more structured than others, and a few hide the use of stringed instruments well. I don't mind the more improvisational pieces, but I definitely enjoy the songs that feel structured more than the others. "Perishedinfits", for example, with its excellent singing vocals layered behind some acoustic guitars and possibly bass. I really like the vocals, I think they add a darker and more personal dimension to the compositions that is very much needed. A perfect example is the minimal and spacious "Destruction", which uses nothing but distant vocals (quite beautiful) and a simple repetitive chord progression for its duration. "Impracticality" even uses some programmed beats, which comes as a huge surprise to close out the disc. Considering that this entire effort was recorded on a 4-track it sounds pretty good. Some moments can be a little bit raw, but not in a bad way. My only minor complaint is that a lot of the tracks fluctuate in output volume, so you have to adjust your volume settings accordingly quite often. Not a huge problem, but something to consider. The CD-R comes in a slim jewel case with a transparent green tray and a simple onecard insert that folds over halfway on the back. The front cover has an abstract, blurred photo on it, and the back flap has the tracklist and some recording information. It looks like the cover was printed from a decent color printer and then color xeroxed, and the CD-R is a TDK CD-R with the band name and stuff handwritten on top of it, so I'd be lying if I said the presentation didn't leave a lot to be desired, but... this thing sells for a very fair price ($4, I believe), so I can let it slide. There are a few potentially minor issues here that, with a bit of work, could have an enormous impact on the power of this music. For one, instead of lots of short songs I would love to hear a few longer, more developed songs, because tracks like "Perishedinfits" really hint at potential brilliance. I also don't like the way that some of the shorter pieces just cut to an abrupt close, because it leaves things feeling like unfinished thoughts or ideas rather than fully developed pieces, and the musical nature of this work should be embraced rather than denied, so concrete structures shouldn't be shunned. Those two minor elements, along with the addition of more vocal work, could make this project an enormous success in my opinion. Not that this effort isn't very well done, but under the right circumstances I could see an incredibly bright future for this project. Good work. I very much look forward to hearing more...
[self-released]
Running time - 41:03, Tracks: 20
[Notable tracks: Perishedinfits, Atrocity Commit, Neversay, Destruction, Tell the Truth]
Ethelscull - http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/melancholia/
