Robert
Poss
"Crossing Casco Bay" CD
Trace
Elements Records
Genres: guitar music, experimental
Trace Elements
172 East 4th St.
Suite 11D
New York, NY 10009
Mar 3 - 9 2003 |
It
really is amazing what can be done with the guitar. On Crossing
Casco Bay, Robert Poss uses his axe (along with some
electronics and basses) to create vivid experimental pieces that truly
represent what the instrument is capable of.
"Crossing Casco Bay" and "Drift," the first two
tracks, are both twenty-minute drone pieces that recall some of Phill
Niblock's work. The former uses a nice electronic / guitar
team-up, whereas the latter is the work of three people playing bowed
basses, oscillators, and an electronic baritone guitar. Although
the two pieces are surely going to be seen as annoying by those many
of those unfamiliar with
the avant-garde (as is always the case with drone work), experimental
listeners will have no reason to complain.
After a short, yet very powerful incidental piece called
"Daybreak in Hanga Roa" (Hanga Roa, in case you don't know,
is the only town on Easter Island, the most isolated island on the
planet - see more here),
the album finishes off with "Theme For An Imaginary Car
Commercial" and "Throne Of Blood (Reprise)". The
former is a dark, brooding electronic / guitar piece with a strong
beat. It works surprisingly well, and does to some extent recall the stuff you
hear in car ads. "Throne of Blood (Reprise),"
meanwhile, is a very pleasant tune that combines Poss' guitar
work with bass and tabla accompaniment.
Altogether, this is an interesting album that explores a nice range
of the types of sounds that can be produced with the guitar. Recommended.
82%
Fun Fact: Crossing Casco Bay
is, in fact, a companion CD to Distortion Is Truth. A
review of Distortion can be read here.
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
5 songs, distributed by the
label, released 2002] |