review :: locustsympathizer
A Wilt recording that takes most of its source material from natural sounds found around James P. Keeler's new (as of 2001) home in the countryside of upstate NY, this is a very dark album with roots in dark-ambient, but a style that frequently pushes out into the noise/power electronics direction. Forceful ambience? Track 3, "Soiled," is an incredible example. The sound is fluid but textural, billowing and dissipating. Near the end of the track, a wave morphs into animal growls. A field of static releases short bursts of these growl-like tones, outlining a jerky, staccato rhythm. From the hard noise of"Shivering Spine" and "Mud" to the dripping ambience of "Still, Violent Waters" (not to mention the eerie transformation of bird wings to military drums in "Taunting the Raven") this is an album not to be missed.
The album is full of fairly short, recognizable loops, fields of static and drone, and interesting experiments that fit a very cohesive vision. Miles away from the cold, claustrophobic atmosphere of 2000's "The Black Box Aesthetic," and signalling some of the direction to come on his later full-lengths "Amidst a Spacious Fabric" and "Radio 1940", Wilt here produces a vibrant environment that has a definite sense of space to it. An experience the whole ride through.
