Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Ensemble Pearl

Sun O))) founder Stephen O'Malley has a new project in the drone-ish end of things called Ensemble Pearl. It's kind of an all-star affair with Atsuo from BOris, and Michio Kurihara from Ghost in the main band, and people like Eyvind Kang contributing.

The album's not out until March 19th, which may explain why there's no audio or video available yet. So crap, you'll have to take my word for it that "Wray" (a Link Wray reference, I believe, though it's hard to make an overt connection) is mysterious and beautiful, full of cave-echoing electronic auras and uneasy swoops and twitches of viola (that's Kang). "Island Epiphany" is ominous, vaguely claustrophobic, its drum beat slowed to ritual pace, its guitar sounds loud but distant, detached, hovering like cloudy weather. (It reminds me of Om.) This is not a crushingly heavy album, though it's serious, slow and probably gut-shattering in concert. Indeed there's a leavening, a phosphorescent glow in darkness, even in long, ponderous "Sexy Angle." I'll put up media when it appears...but, for now, trust me. Good stuff.

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