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Robert Crouch, "A Gradual Accumulation of Ideas Becomes Truth"
It is fair to say that Robert Crouch has injected some major conceptualism into A Gradual Accumulation of Ideas Becomes Truth. The overarching theme, outlined in the title, is how locations can develop histories that never existed based simply on someone's insistence they happened, a process akin to that of meaning devised by method of symbolic interactionism. That concept applies appropriately to the recorded material as well: a series of compositions based upon modular synthesis that largely avoids the now cliché bleeps and bloops and instead results in lush passages of electronics that form their own little worlds.
The conceptual linkage of the idea to the composition appears in the way in which Crouch created recordings via his modular synthesizer, but purposely only captured them via digital stereo recordings.Rather than making notes of the setup, he instead devised the patches and performance in such a way that he could not recreate them, and thus had only the final product to work with.Much like the architectural concept, he had only the final ideas to base the "truth" of this recording on.
The results of these ephemeral synth arrangements run the gamut from gentle to raw and significant ground in between."Hohle Fels" is one of the more placid pieces; beginning with gliding tones and light wisps of air painting a warm, open landscape.The tones slowly become lower register, casting a darker shadow, as the piece drifts to its conclusion.The warm tones are reprised on "Limbo Town (Croatoan)", but Crouch melds this darker drift with lightly crackling textures.The dissonance builds, and is eventually replaced with dour electronics that sound like a clearer passage from an old MB record.
"3184 Pullman, Costa Mesa, 1974" features Crouch working with more texture than tone.A bit of dissonant buzz and icy, frozen sheets of sound creep through like glaciers.Noises of what could pass for radio interference appear, with an almost rhythmic quality to them that contrasts the static and cold done very well."Bellona(Version 0-375-70668-2)" has Crouch employing a more overt bitcrusher-like effect to excellent effect.Its idiosyncratic distortion adds to the oddly intersecting layers.Eventually it is transitioned back to a rich, full-bodied sound, but for a period it sounds as if it is emanating from a deep, dank basement.
The concluding "Potbelly Hill" begins with what could almost be mistaken for a droning electric guitar, sustained and frequently processed.It is an extremely dynamic piece, even though it is largely built around that shimmering tone.Crouch builds the intensity and then scales it back, blending together abstraction with almost melodic passages, closing the album on a gentle, peaceful note.
There is an odd mood throughout A Gradual Accumulation…; a sound that is ominous, but never off-putting.Coupled with Crouch’s use of spacious tones and subtle layering, he definitely achieves that architectural effect he was aiming for.The depth and mood conveyed in each of these pieces results in a theme, or almost a field recording, for a space that may have never existed.
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