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M. Bassett/J. Gräf, "Peradam"
While both of these artists have significant discographies in their various projects (Marcia Bassett is a member of Double Leopards and Hototogisu, while Jenny Gräf is half of Metalux), here in the context of a duo they've chosen to examine more varied and ambient sounds as opposed to the more noise and drone tinged works their other bands are known for.
The long opener "Zero as Sky" begins with a slow moving wave of buzzing drone which, to use a contemporaneous pop culture reference that will be meaningless in six months, sounds like the vuvuzelas that have been a locust in the media since their World Cup appearance this summer.The droning horn sounds are paired with overt guitar to create an odd duet, which takes an even more drastic turn when the layered, but otherwise untreated vocals appear.The piece transitions to deliberate guitar feedback and warbling birdsongs in a minimal, but tightly controlled mix.
The shorter middle segment, "Black Waters Glow" is perhaps the most inviting of the three pieces here.The pure, unprocessed guitar and bits of synth, when put alongside the lightly effected vocals give a very distinctive 1970s prog rock sound, at least in its approach.The track is far from the overblown pretense of that genre, and remains a rather sparse, low-key work throughout, with even the electronic elements kept to a minimum throughout to emphasize the guitar and vocal components.
The duo isn’t content to stay in these sparser, warm waters for long.The closing "Phantasmagorical Mapping" heads back into dark, mysterious realms.The treated static and low end swell that form the introduction pull away to leave the focus on bass drone and tremolo-ed guitar noise, which form the underlying skeleton of the piece.Percussion arrives, but in an erratically paced form that sounds more like a cassette tape being eaten by the machine.The low register elements swell to the point of raw clipping, but stay restrained and controlled.Even once the spacy electronics appear in the later moments, there is still a sense of lurking menace in the track that is only slightly lightened by the delicate vocals that close the track.
Peradam is not a light album by any means, but it does step away from the usual doom and gloom associated with this type of music.Instead, it embraces a world of texture and variation, using the similar paints of doom and drone, but in a different and varied way, developing a more dynamic style throughout.While it doesn't specifically resemble any of Bassett's other projects, her presence is definitely felt throughout.
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