Ambient Noise (MP3s)

Layers of sonic texture by Black Thread

20130315-blackthread

Reportedly the blissful white noise of Fragrant Hoof Carvings by Black Thread is the result of layers of simultaneously played cassette tapes. It has the slurry, effluvia-laden richness of the world seen on a gray day through smudged glass from a high building. A lot of ambient music can sound like the sonic equivalent of store-bought vellum. Far better than that, this is the sonic equivalent of threadbare, dirty sheets hung out to dry and moving in the intermittent breeze. Thoughts will turn to the disintegrating loops of William Basinski, and that’s a useful comparison, but this is something apart from that, with its own textures and rhythms. The collection’s three tracks are best experienced as a set due to how they comment on each other. The title track, for example, is tenderly abrasive in a manner that helps the opening cut, “Orchid’s Inky Vapor,” get its due for its subtlety by comparison.

Get them at “name your price” at turmericmagnitudes.bandcamp.com. Thanks to Matt Davignon for the recommendation.

2 thoughts on “Ambient Noise (MP3s)

  1. Your review gave me the inspiration that I needed to finish a Kenneth Kirschner remix that I’ve been toy around with [http://soundcloud.com/l-a-j-1/kenneth-kirschner-january-2].

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