steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Aidan Baker / Thomas Baker / Alan Bloor

"Terza Rima" CDR

Public Eyesore

Genres: ambient, experimental, improv

Bryan Day / PE
3803 S 25th St.
Omaha, NE 68107

Jun 30 - Jul 6 2003

The Terza Rima CDR is a recording of a live performance from the Ambient Ping Series, which took place in (my very hometown of) Toronto, Canada.  It is divided into three pieces, none of which are shorter than seventeen minutes.

The first piece is the eerie "Pentrametrical," which takes a glitchy, metallic sound and lays a dark ambiance over it.  When the sparse piano  gradually comes in, the resulting noise is slightly more tuneful, yet still creepy and spaced out.  Eventually it turns into a mysterious, almost psychedelic sound sculpture that feels as if it could be the score to a very offbeat film (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas came to mind).

The second track is "Interlaced Rhyme Scheme," a thirty minute epic that spans through ambiance, sampling, and almost jazzy piano playing.  It's an amazing, accomplished piece that's both bizarre and mesmerizing.

The final piece is "Tertiary," which starts off with frantic piano doodling, but then dissolves into ambient guitar abstraction, only to disintegrate further into a throbbing electronic / piano tinkling finale that slowly fades into silence, followed by the restrained clapping of a disembodied audience.  Genius.

Altogether, this is a terrific release of experimental improv and ambient avant-garde music.  Those interested in the genres are encouraged to give Terza Rima a try, they won't be disappointed.

85%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 3 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2003]