April Picks [II]: andrew [or Music For Train Passengers]

When I first moved out to NYC I listened to a lot of Sonic Youth. Somehow the music just meshed well with the drones and squeals of the subway, and they've become the quintessential New York band.

then i became directionless for a while, listening to whichever album was alphabetically next. But becuase I read on the train, and for a general lack of focus, I've been preferring to not have someone serenade me whist I read and ride. Or worse, I end up singing along in my head and find i've "read" five pages without actually following what i'e read. Ipso facto, I've been listening to a lot of instrumental (and the occasional instru-metal) records, which I'm sure my emusic account is beginning to reflect.

So, I find myself gravitating to the droning sounds of Rhys Chatham, two albums you'll find on eMusic. Two Gongs, which is just one 60 minute track of two gongs being rung at undulating force. The record is a test of tolerance and i find myself listening to it more often than is healthy (twice monthly is more than necessary.)

I also picked up Chatham's 3 CD set of Guitar Trio Is My Life! which is essentially one song performed live with different musicians and lasting anywhere from 10-20 minutes. I highly recommend it if you liked A Crimson Grail. However, I tired to listen to the Guitar Trio set straight through (approx 200 minutes in total duration) but only made it through the first half. Which was essentially four one-way trips to and from work. A great song, and it's remarkable the variations and permutations that occur with different lineups of musicians, but after the fifth or sixth time through even the most tolerant mind needs a dose of Rihanna.

So it should come as no surprise that i spent 18 of my 40 monthly tracks on the low, droning sounds of Stars of the Lid. I'll admit that picking up both records of ...and Their Refinement of the Decline (it's a 2 record set) is a bit much, but i'm a completest, so i couldn't just get the first. (I can't quite tell if there is much of a distinction between the albums. So i question why they bother splitting up the record when it's a digital download.)

while the record is very mellow, it sounds great played loud as hell with swirling strings, organs and synths. plus you get a better sense of the rich tapestry of sounds they are creating*. i hate to use the term "ambient" when defining this type of music as that tends to relegate it to background music, and undercuts the dense layers at work.

highly recommended.

oh, and emusic got a bit more dope with the addition of being able to preview tracks right in the browser, rather than having to open temp files in your preferred music player.

*while i agree with this, i just wanted to type "rich tapestry of sounds"