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Black Forest/Black Sea, "Radiant Symmetry"
This set sounds amazingly cohesive for a collection of tracks recordedat various live venues with many tracks featuring different guests.Jeffrey Alexander and Miriam Goldberg, Black Forest/Black Sea's twopermanent members, are noble for sharing so much of the spotlight oftheir own project with others.Last Visible Dog
They seem to thrive on the energy whichis produced by trying new combinations of instrumentation andpersonnel. On the opening improvisation, recorded in Glasgow, theaddition of Daniel Padden on clarinet, Alex Neilson on percussion andChristoph Hladowski on bouzouki combines with the duo's cello andguitar and produces a swirling mass of sound that a duo could notcreate on their own. The chaotic, free improvisational flavor of thispiece is deceptive as an opener, as throughout the remainder of the cdthere are calmer elements. The mood is plaintive on a collaborationwith guitarist Nick Talbot (Gravenhurst), recorded in his hometowmBristol, England. On this recording Miriam makes up for her lack ofvocals on this album with some equally emotive screaming cello playing.Track three, recorded in Bologna, features an extra guitarist and givesMiriam room to stretch out on cello, producing aching tones that serveas a background for the two guitarists to pit feedback againstfingerpicking. Although it's often difficult to tell who is playingwhat, it seems that Goldberg and Alexander value this anonymity. To me,this music is about the immediacy of exploring new directions, and withexpert players the results are not self-indulgent. Of nine tracksincluded, only three feature the duo by themselves. Two of these wererecorded at Morden Tower, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, and find the pair makingexcellent use of electronics. Tastefully enhancing their acousticinstrumentation with many different textures provided by warped analogeffects is one of the strengths of this project. Also from this venue,track seven sounds particularly fresh, with Alexander's guitar playingsounding like a direct response to the sharp electronic tones swarmingall around. The 15 minute track recorded at Talbot Hotel inStoke-on-Trent which closes the set is a highlight, and features HarrySumnall on electric tamboura, harmonium and percussion. The trio createa hazy mass of drones which allow guitar and hand percussion to weavein and out of the mix. By leaving the focus somewhat open-ended, yetworking with a worldwide network of likeminded collaborators, Alexanderand Goldberg produce exciting music that is at once selfless andfulfills their personal vision.
They seem to thrive on the energy whichis produced by trying new combinations of instrumentation andpersonnel. On the opening improvisation, recorded in Glasgow, theaddition of Daniel Padden on clarinet, Alex Neilson on percussion andChristoph Hladowski on bouzouki combines with the duo's cello andguitar and produces a swirling mass of sound that a duo could notcreate on their own. The chaotic, free improvisational flavor of thispiece is deceptive as an opener, as throughout the remainder of the cdthere are calmer elements. The mood is plaintive on a collaborationwith guitarist Nick Talbot (Gravenhurst), recorded in his hometowmBristol, England. On this recording Miriam makes up for her lack ofvocals on this album with some equally emotive screaming cello playing.Track three, recorded in Bologna, features an extra guitarist and givesMiriam room to stretch out on cello, producing aching tones that serveas a background for the two guitarists to pit feedback againstfingerpicking. Although it's often difficult to tell who is playingwhat, it seems that Goldberg and Alexander value this anonymity. To me,this music is about the immediacy of exploring new directions, and withexpert players the results are not self-indulgent. Of nine tracksincluded, only three feature the duo by themselves. Two of these wererecorded at Morden Tower, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, and find the pair makingexcellent use of electronics. Tastefully enhancing their acousticinstrumentation with many different textures provided by warped analogeffects is one of the strengths of this project. Also from this venue,track seven sounds particularly fresh, with Alexander's guitar playingsounding like a direct response to the sharp electronic tones swarmingall around. The 15 minute track recorded at Talbot Hotel inStoke-on-Trent which closes the set is a highlight, and features HarrySumnall on electric tamboura, harmonium and percussion. The trio createa hazy mass of drones which allow guitar and hand percussion to weavein and out of the mix. By leaving the focus somewhat open-ended, yetworking with a worldwide network of likeminded collaborators, Alexanderand Goldberg produce exciting music that is at once selfless andfulfills their personal vision.samples:
