Sean McCann

"Sway" CDR

Stunned Records

Genre: drone, experimental, free

San Francisco, USA

Dec 19, 2008

Hypnotic is perhaps the best word to describe Sean McCann's deep Sway album. McCann creates abstract soundscapes in the free drone vein, be it the regal electronic shimmer of the first track or the haunting, reverberating improv of the last. The most striking part of Sway is the pristinely ambient third track and its unannounced cut into the jagged folk plucking of the fourth; it knocks you off your seat every time, but the beautiful execution of either composition is what makes the transition continuously rewarding. Worthy of good headphones and your full concentration, McCann's record is a certain treat for drone diehards, and one that will spur interest in his already prolific discography. Although more adept at the airier side of drone than the more jagged and noisy end of the continuum (as evidenced on this album's second track), McCann is an inventive and engaging experimental performer.

sean mccann's website

82%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 7 tracks, limited to 80 copies, distributed by the label, 2008]