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Insect Factory, "Mind", Earthen Sea/Insect Factory
An artist working primarily with guitar used in abstract compositions, Jeff Barsky, also known as Insect Factory, does an exceptional job of carefully using effects and processing to create complex compositions, rather than chaotic walls of sound. On this solo cassette and older split LP, he avoids the temptation to simply run his instrument through a battery of guitar pedals on every song and instead uses that technique sparingly, along with less obscured, more conventional playing. It is his careful balance of texture and mood with conventional melodic playing that makes his work fascinating.
Barsky's work on these releases also differs from piece to piece as well.In general, the limited handmade tape of Mind has him working with a more loop-centric approach, building from repeating, simple motifs into richer, more expansive passages of sound.The first of two pieces on the first side of the tape (I assume, there is no documentation at all on the cassette) begins from a simple repeating swell of guitar noise.From this most basic passage effects are placed, with the sound becoming more and more cacophonous and metallic, with scraped strings and distorted outbursts all mixed together into a wall of dissonant, but still beautiful noise.
What I assume is a second piece on the side (or an abrupt change) does initially see Barsky using the "pile of pedals" method I alluded to before, but generating a beautiful ringing cloud of sound rather than a dull roar.Bright, colorful passages explode as tiny fragments of string scrape noises sneak out before the piece is pulled apart and also reorganized into a more rhythmic loop-heavy framework.The second side of the tape again works with looped guitar tones and weirdly clipped noises.The loops are expanded upon again, but here it less of a metallic harshness and more of a soft, textural sound in nature.As the piece progresses, more conventional melodies and guitar playing shows up, ending the side on an especially beautiful passage of heavy sustained guitar notes.
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The Insect Factory half of the split LP with Earthen Sea is more expansive and far less loop-heavy than what was on Mind.What resembles a shrill bowed guitar opens the piece, mixed with a jerky passage of oddly clipped, processed guitar notes.Blended with a beautiful passage of drone, the mix of erratic guitar noise and massive walls of melody is a brilliant one.Eventually the piece becomes a pile of layered guitar noises, with each layer seemingly vying to be the dominant sound but instead becoming entwined like string.
The other side of the record is very different comparably.Earthen Sea's Jacob Young keeps his piece more subtle and restrained compared to Barsky's half.Immediately it is a passage of expansive ambient electronics, generating a light atmosphere while soon blended with deep bass rumblings, almost resembling a drummer far in the horizon.The piece keeps this sparse feel throughout, with the expansion of the mix staying subtle, and having an overall haunting sound.The changes are small and understated, but extremely effective, especially Long's delicate concluding passage.
These may be two recent entries in Jeff Barsky’s discography as Insect Factory, but the very different sounds here show just how diverse of an artist he is.With the cassette focusing on slowly building loops, and his half of the split LP emphasizing layered passages of guitar, he covers a wide variety of sound with his guitar, never losing his identity or style to a pile of effects.I am less familiar with Long's work as Earthen Sea, but within the confines of that split record, his gentle and vast electronics sound provides an excellent counterpart to Barsky's gorgeous chaotic mass of guitar experimentation.
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