Artist: Phill Niblock
Title: G2,44+/x2
Label: Moikai
There's one more record that I thought I would put in a good word for.
Phill Niblock's recent release on the Drag City imprint, Moikai, (curated
by Jim O'Rourke) was originally titled "Guitar Too, For Four" but has been
released as "G2,44+/x2". I assume that this title means that the original
composition "Guitar Too, For Four" G2,44 is joined by live guest
guitarists (Rafael Toral on the first track, various others including
Thurston Moore on the second track) and there are two versions of it.
Cryptography aside, what you have really got is two half-hour long drones
composed of 24 tracks of manipulated guitar. The nature of the drone is
very interesting. It has both acoustic and electronic characteristics. It
has the unpredictably of a human component (a la Tony Conrad's violin
drones or the hurdy gurdy drones of Keiji Haino) but it seems a little bit
too clean to be purely generated by mechanical means. There is a hint of
modulated sine-wave-style drone to the piece. This is the first time I
have heard the two disparate styles overlap. If you compare it to
Niblock's earlier drones like, for example, "The Unmentionable Piece for
Trombone" starring the playing of George Lewis (Blast First Records), then
this new piece is more minimalistic. There is less variation to the drone.
However, the drone is rich (24 tracks + live musicians!) and textured and
strangely soothing. There are no high frequencies and no erratic pops and
scratches or other electroacoustic garnishes to distract the ears from the
drone. A drone has really got to have something special to demand multiple
listens. The two drones on G2,44+/x2 are compelling and I have been drawn
back over the past couple weeks several times to listen to it again.
David K.
