Chgt Of x(or Blue

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v. are Jeff Surak, James Guggino

The first release by v., now a duet. Wide ranging material, every piece different from each other. Noise, rhythmic, free, musique concrete, ReR, melodic and atonal all at once.

“The Bake cd was V.s first release, and reflects that in its diversity (which they acknowledge on the website). One of the pair (at least) is a percussionist as about half the tracks are grounded in live drumming/rhythms. These are scattered between minimal experimental electronica and more complex tracks. The opening is an intense restrained percussive barrage all manners of drums together with a burring noise. From here the percussive strand runs through the album. There is the perpetual motion machine of 3 where the drum and loop is joined by some pulsing organ with piano or guitar deep in the mix; ringing metal in 7 together with scraping, high tones and gated affects; driving beats and wuzzing electronica in 11; and then the 14, 15 & 16 sequence where complex percussion and lighter guitar, followed by drums and sustained long tones which sound mightily like a Wurlitzer (hey, Word knows this!), wavering up and down, and then the full complexity with drums, a rubbery bass loop, clattering, tones and sqrls from the synth and something that sounds like a violin. The violin can link us to 13 where long rising and falling tones, if not string originating, at least sound like violin (and there are more strings on the next V album) are surrounded by scrabbling and scratching and percussion which sounds like someone dropping a cutlery draw. The remaining tracks mix electronica with other instruments. Piano is present in 2 as notes and runs after an introduction of buzzing and looped pulses. A swirling shimmer joins in, lit by descending notes, and this is sustained after the piano leaves. On 8 a guitar is obvious played percussively and with some fx, backed by swirling electronica and stretching noises. And then the mainly electro pieces: Buzzy melodies and clicks which breaks down in 4; the directed instability of a host of sounds in 6; muffled pulsing, clatters, chitters, scrapes and squeals of 9 shifting into 10s rising and falling drones with distant piano; jittery throbbing and glitches in 12; and a pulsing tones and clicks for the final track. I must say I enjoyed the variety well paced, varied, not too confronting but still extending a strong debut. (As an aside, the transition from 10 to 11 is interesting if you let it play it goes through normally, if you start at or track jump to 11 it sticks and then goes to the start of 10, but you can rewind in from 12. The track time, though, is the total of the two. Not sure if this is intentional or an error, but it is interesting).”