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Thomas Köner, "Zyklop"
This two disc set is comprised of installations and live performances and, despite some interesting departures from Köner's recent output, is encumbered by its scope and formlessness.
It starts with some whispered vocals, which unfortunately are scattered throughout the entire recording, never really adding anything or fitting in. Köner moves through some very nice ambient themes over the course of the first disc, accompanied by a noisy background that sounds suspiciously like the radio crackle from Unerforschtes Gebiet, while mostly unprocessed environmental sounds—including birds, insects, and water—fill out the "topographie sonore." The rattling of branches provides a suitable, but almost overwhelming, counterpoint to the gracefully shifting melodies in the background. My main complaint is that, although there's enough activity and detail to keep me interested, the piece as a whole doesn't really reach out to the listener—it just exists formlessly on its own, without any need for effort or interpretation. Köner, as usual, synthesizes some great sounds, but this is not one of his better pieces. The variety on the second disc is a reward for patience, as these installation soundtracks feature better structure and more creative manipulation of field recordings. "Des Rives" is a refreshingly rhythmic track incorporating the sounds of traffic and a busy train station into an amalgamation of minimal techno beats and industrial noise. "Zyklop" opens with some filtered tones, popping noises, and what sounds like a few slow-running lawn sprinklers; after a few minutes a pure-sounding drone emerges and then plays a slight variant of the main progression of Köner's Daikan. Continuing with the variations on past work is "Tu, Sempre," which combines an apparently unaltered Unerforschtes Gebiet with some effective elements (something that sounds like a woodpecker) and some ineffective elements (more out of place French vocals). Despite the hypnotic low bass and layered rhythmic elements, the vocals ultimately succeed in annoying me by the track's end. The highlight of the album is the final track, another version of "Zyklop." Köner maxes-out the filtered static and radio noise to hide some slow volume swells and an incredibly epic melody filtered through distance and bad reception. Its brief emotional impact almost makes up for the previous 100 minutes, and then the lawn sprinklers and slight digital glitches take over again for the album's finale. I'm glad to see the incorporation of more elements into Köner's sound, but this recording could use some judicious editing, and is probably not essential.
