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Eleh, "Repose"
The third in a series of three releases (completing the arc that began with Retreat and Return, both released simultaneously last year), this piece also formed the basis of Eleh’s one and only live performance earlier this year at Mutek. Diverting from the usual pursuit of pure tone, Repose sees Eleh adopting a grittier, grainier palette of sound in addition to those ethereal sound waves which dominate the rest of the releases. This is a bewitching but regrettably short experiment with positive results.
The single piece on Repose, "Circle Two: Coastal Rotation for Dune Loop," opens with a most un-Eleh crackle. The rough noise sounds more like some of Eleh’s label mates on Touch; it would not be out of place on a BJ Nilsen or Philip Jeck recording. Within seconds an ominous deep bass tone slowly repeats, only to be later joined by an irregular higher pitched noise. Altogether, the music is a departure from the almost clinical drones of previous Eleh releases. The piece moves completely away from any recognizable sound waves into a low rumble rustling noise before returning to that repeating bass tone which seems to last an eternity with each repetition as the sound gradually transfers its vibrations to the matter in the room, including me.
It is easy to get lost in slow alterations in tone and attack. Even simple procedures like adjusting the volume brings about noticeably drastic changes in the character of the piece and while La Monte Young has always been an easy comparison to make with Eleh, the music has taken what Young had sowed with "Drift Study" and refined it while combining the concept with more modern ideas on sound construction. The careful attention to detail reveals itself with equally careful listening. As I play through this LP again, I wonder how "Circle Two" sounded that night at Mutek and what kind of acoustic effects were present considering the much larger amounts of amplification available in a live situation. As if there were not enough mysteries surrounding Eleh...
There is one thing that detracts from this release and that is its length: I would have preferred more music on the second side instead of an etching; Repose looks beautiful (as well as the etching, there is also a photograph in the sleeve in a sealed envelope. Mine appears to be some sort of frost-covered vegetation) but for the price, I would like to listen to Eleh for longer. Especially so considering how good this one side of music is.
 
