Nexsound – experimental, ambient, noise, improv record label

Review

Foxy Digitalis

v/a – Rural Psychogeography

To stare at the landscape, urban or natural, and witness the sort of tiny shiftsthat you’ll never notice unless you’re patient, and are willing to give things timeis one of the most mind-cleansing things I can think of. So maybe it doesn’t come asa big surprise that I really like the concept behind this Ukrainian compilation,aptly titled Rural Psychogeography. The keyword of the 16 internationalcontributions is psychogeography and every single one is built up to illustrate thespecific effects of a certain geographical location. If the sounds presented are anyindicators, there’s quite a few rainy days in these places. Most of the tracksexplore some of the bleakest landscapes ever illustrated with sounds but thatdoesn’t prevent pretty much all of them from being just as beautiful as they arestark. The album as a whole brings to mind a small island of narrow streets withhouses all painted in a similar grayish color. It’s a place where you continuouslywill have a difficult time finding your way but where you somehow are well aware of the outer margins.
You will never pass the limit of being seriously lost and instead you will be ableto focus on the ancient cobblestone walks and endlessly discovering newassociations between the already known and unknown locations. Ukrainian Moglasstakes the nightshift and their claustrophobic dronescapes and swelling detailedcluster of sound are sure to make you watch over your shoulder every second stepyou take. Austrian Radian’s electro-acoustic clusters offer a rhythmic meetingbetween the sunshine and the historical heritage of Unije, an island in the outerCroatian archipelago, but the real masterpiece of them all is Tom Carter andVanessa Arn’s “Mojave”. It’s a track that sounds a whole lot more open than any ofthe previous ones and I can’t help but imagining myself wandering the vast expansesof the desert. Other contributions range from digitized distortion,electro-acoustic minimalism, immersive drone constructions, metallic sonatas, mechanical screeches and superfluous ambientabstractions to microscopic sine drones. But what unites them all is the sheerinterest in exploring a particularly impressive view and painting aural imagesreminiscent, or at least inspired, by that specific vista. With that in min we’reserved glimpses of a lifetime of travels. Beyond what’s already been mentionedFrancisco Lopez, Rosy Parlane, Andrey Kiritchenko, Steinbruchel as well as ahandful of others portray some of the most impressive sights of Argentina, NewZealand, Ukraine, Switerland and much more. Recommended.
Mats Gustafsson

Foxy Digitalis

the Moglass/Tom Carter & Vanessa Arn-Snake – Tongued / Swallow-Tailed

When reviewing Nexsound’s impressive Rural Psychogeography compilation a cpl of months back I said that the real masterpiece on that album is Tom Carter and Vanessa Arn’s “Mojave” and something about imagining myself wandering the vast expanses of the desert. That track opens this album and sets the tone perfectly for what is to come. “Atmanada” is a 23 minutes long drifter constructed from effected lap steel guitar and barely-there humming guitars, and although we’re talking soundscapes and improvisations here there are still distant melodies present, somehow floating in and out of your psyche with ease. It’s an impressive listen that sounds like black smoke billowing out from a chimney into the crystal clear winter sky. Hypnotic, mesmerizing and breathtaking.Ukrainian Moglass also explores soundscapes (although more electronically oriented) that just seems to be hanging in the air, but this is decidedly more dark and ominous, if not even claustrophobic. We get three tracks packed with free-floating tension and industrial angst but there’s also enough droney beauty and weird sonic whims to set this one apart from your regular industrial listen. Given the fact that I have to be seen as a Tom Carter obsessive it might not come as a surprise that I rank his and Arn’s two tracks the highest, but beyond these two beautiful improvisations this split release also works eminently as a whole, the CD communicates its intentions with success.