Dirac
"Emphasis" CD
Spekk
Genre: ambient, drone,
experimental
Vienna, Austria
December 2009 |
After a limited CDR on U-Cover in 2007,
Emphasis marks the second full-length effort from Viennese
trio Dirac. The band specializes in what
they've dubbed "21st century chamber music," a sleek
euphemism for peaceful, ambient soundscapery. A look at the band's
autobiography reveals the sheer mass of tools they implement in
their sound -- effectively a laundry list of instruments enumerating
everything from a Maultrommel to an Ebow.
Yet the compositions themselves are
fairly minimalistic -- rarely dense and always slow-moving. A
confirmed highlight is the twelve minute opener, "This is Your 4
A.M. Wake-up Call," which places the wistful, droning tones of
singing bowls above a bed of slow-shifting bass and back-masked
sound. The overall effect is distinctly cinematic -- it could be the
score to a film in which latent secrets lurking beneath ordinary
life are slowly revealed. Meanwhile, "Bantu" covers similar pensive
ground, this time in a more fragmented
manner; the track is a melancholy stretch of sad horns, jangling
guitar, and distant bells, organized in a
blissfully musical manner. Its breathtaking crescendo is a
delicious purge near track's end.
Ultimately, Emphasis is quiet
music, which isn't to say it's destined
for the background. A stunning meditation on the city at night,
perhaps -- or accompaniment to a dusty
country road -- Dirac's album appeals to that mental state of dreamy
contemplation that characterizes all of us from
time to time. Though it will likely
be the droneheads and ambient fanatics who
will most bond with these four compositions, I feel as if
Emphasis's potently evocative nature will
endear it to anyone with a fondness for sound.
dirac's
myspace
Michael
Tau
[Vitals: 4 tracks, distributed by
the
label,
released 2009] |