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Seth Cluett, "Objects of Memory"
While the five distinct works that comprise this album have different constructs and varying sound sources, the still, subtle sounds and attention to detail is a constant throughout, weaving together into one consistent document.
The first three pieces are more traditional, compositionally speaking, being fully scored and performed by other artists."Objects in Stillness" is a perfect title for the frozen, but not static sounds that are created via bassoon, viola, guitar and percussion, along with four sine tones.The high pitched sine tones carry most of the work, not quite shrill enough to be grating but definitely on the higher end of the spectrum.Slow, long passages of bassoon drone can be heard, counterbalanced by the infrequent, single chiming guitar note.
"A Radiance Scored with Shadow" draws from a drastically different suite of instruments:amplified paper, bass drum, compressed air, and bowed vibraphone.Even with this far less conventional set of instruments, Cluett creates a similar world of sparse, quiet ringing and subtle studies of sound.The paper sounds give a rougher, more chaotic feel, but only in comparison to the other pieces.In any other context, there is still an intense level fo restraint throughout:even as the piece reaches a near-climax of sound and dynamics towards the end, it is quickly reeled back in.
Of the two longer pieces, "Doleros (Audio Tourism at Ringing Rocks)" is perhaps the most distinct.Documenting an installation at a Brooklyn art gallery, Cluett uses construction materials in a very different context.Rather than just the spacious, arid passages of sound from before, here there is a layer of clinking little bits of sound, panned around the entire piece, creating an almost rhythmic underpinning.Below that, a humming drone expands, changing ever so slowly.
The final work, "Untitled (Objects of Memory)," is a long live performance.Utilizing different forms of existing sounds, from feedback to tape players and computers, Cluett is working more towards the chaotic end of the spectrum.While it has the same dreamy, slow motion vibe of the other works, there is a notable sense of urgency with a more forceful approach.While it is mostly a meditative work of tones, there exists the presence of instability via warbling sounds and rattling textures, giving a more dramatic flair to the performance.
Objects of Memory is one of those contradictory works that sounds icy and still on the surface, but upon closer inspection is a much more diverse and varied set of works.Even through all of the different compositional modalities that Cluett employs, his attention to detail and structure is never forgotten, and the result is a challenging, but definitely rewarding piece of sound art.
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