"A featureless silhouette is glimpsed at the bottom of a shimmering lake. A long lost love is seen through the frosted window of a winter cottage. Always on the outside, always peering inward. Leaning hard against solid matter, you feel you can push right through. Suddenly you can sense the space between the atoms of perceived reality. All at once it is stretched out before you, the passage of eons, life from plasma, the births and deaths of galaxies. To grasp it you must lose it. You are and always were cosmic dust. Insignificant. The detritus of stars." - from DØD UNIVERS blogspot
Three Tracks of barely contained, but well constructed, maelstrom.
This newest transmission from Caldera Lakes is the closest recorded approximation to what they are doing live, at the moment. Eva Aguila, of Kevin Shields, produces a wall-of-sound with a cornucopia of different instruments and homemade electronics, while Brittany Gould coos and shrieks and vents over the frenzy. They are both obviously very adept at what they do, which makes for that rarest of anomaly, masterful noise music. The presence of the human voice provides an emotional hook to hang yr hat, while the blistering fuzz and shimmering soundscapes disorient and perplex.
This recording, and their live performance, utilizes some tibetan singing bowls, bells, and chimes, which gives the proceedings a ritualistic flavor; exotic flights of fancy behind opiated eyelids. Brittany Gould also has a deft touch with the pedal-board, and a real finesse looping her voice, a simulated choir, a mumbled catharsis. 3 tracks here, flowing and blending together, mostly atmospheric, as hinted at with track 1 title, Contained Etherealness, only to be t-boned by a blistering white-noise assault on the end of the A side, the tail end of undefined, a pure noise assault that would make Boyd Rice proud, only to decrescendo back into melodic territory, and then the flip. These ladies will keep you on yr toes, keep ya guessing, no easy answers, no party lines. Just a world, a swamp, a forest, to wander in, to get lost. Either yr down for the journey, or yr not.
The packaging on this cassette is so unbelievably gorgeous, it made my heart sing to hold it in my hands, a glad hallelujah for art objects, tangible and lovingly crafted. I had the good fortune of seeing them open for Sonic Youth in Denver a couple months ago, with a stunning live set, and i believe i scored this miracle for maybe $7. At times it is sweet to be a fan of underground music. It can be had from the label for $9, and i really must insist that each and every one of you buy a copy, until they're all gone, and then they'll make more, or just release more music. The spectacular show reminded me of this duo's existence, and listening to this tape several times over the past couple o' months has really whet my whistle for this band's music, and for experimental music, in general. They really are something special.
You can check out some free tunage, that they've upped themselves, over at FMA:
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Caldera_Lakes/The_New_Caldera_Lakes_Album_Rough_Cut/
and you can buy this gem here:
http://soundofadeaduniverse.blogspot.com/
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