Conduction, Convection, Radiation (the 3 types of heat transfer if I remember correctly, in case you were wondering) is obviously a split record, but one of such pedigree that I immediately had to find it as soon as I heard it existed. 1 Mile North is an excellent band, whose two albums I've heard, Glass Wars and Minor Shadows, are both excellent. Colophon is one guy, a member of Tarentel (whose album From Bone to Satellite I recommended heartily). I also previously reviewed The Wind-Up Bird's LP, Whips, urging you to get it as soon as possible, and I of course stand by that today, as it remains one of my favorite records. Recently I have acquired two more recordings of theirs, this one and a self-titled LP, of which you can expect a review shortly. The record at hand is an interesting one, a quiet experiment by all three artists, and one certainly worth your while if you are not looking for something to dance to.
1 Mile North starts off with "East Coast Harbor," sounding familiar with their signature atmospheric guitar work and unhurried pace. "Ashes and Dust" recalls for me the soundtrack to Twin Peaks somehow. "Silence the Deaf" introduces a bit of percussion, but floats much as the other tracks do. There's not much I can say but that if you like their other stuff you'll like this. I know that doesn't sound like a very robust recommendation but basically it is more of the same, no better and no worse - if you're hurting for a little more 1 Mile North, this should be up your alley.
The Colophon tracks don't sound anything like Tarentel, let's get that out of the way. "Watching Josi Die" and "Texas Heat" are enjoyable, but repetitive and uneventful respectively. "Vicodin Dream/Josi's Last Stand" is his best track here, with extremely sparsely played piano backed by an almost imperceptible, ghostly drone. It is very beautiful, but the track is practically empty and does not lend itself to much but close listening. The melody, such as it is, is mournful and somber, which is fitting as it is more or less a eulogy as I discovered in correspondence with the man himself. Of all the tracks on this record I have listened to this one the most; it intrigues me and teases me with its lengthy silences. It may not do the same for you, but if one person listens to it and likes it then I am happy.
The Wind-Up Bird's portion of the split are the most active. The songs actually remind me of Fridge, firstly by their being named after the instruments which make them up, and secondly because they just sound like Fridge. "Violin & Trumpet" is the first, and possibly the best, with a sad but hopeful melody whined out by a few violins backed occasionally by, you guessed it, trumpets. "Voice & Sine Wave" is mainly a warm drone like the quietest parts of Whips, but the layering is complicated and despite the song's name, I recognized neither voice nor sine wave, though both were undoubtedly present. "Voice & Bells" seems to reprise the previous track slightly in the form of light background noise in the same key, but the gentle sound of bells comes in, making it sound more like Colleen than anything. "Guitar & Bass" features slowly growing layers of guitars and such along with a sound like a chorus of monks in the distance, or perhaps ghosts. It's very Windy & Carl.
Looking back at what I've written, I'm afraid I may not have made this record sound overly exciting, dear reader. Well, it's not an exciting record, it's another wallpaper record (how sick you must be of these), but in my humble opinion it is good to have lots of quiet, pretty music for times when you just want to read or sit there or whatever. If that is what you seek, look no further than this.
Here's "Violin & Trumpet," by The Wind-Up Bird.
I'd have given you "Vicodin Dream" but I'm afraid it may just be a bit too much (a bit too little to be precise) to ask for you to like it as much as I do.
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