Pausal Lapses
Title: Pausal - Lapses
Label: Barge Recordings
Cataloge No: BRG008
Type: Album
Reviewer: Rich
Date: 14, April, 2010
It's been a good while since I last heard from Barge Recordings, So it's certainly a pleasure to hear the latest offering from a label that has so far put out nothing but brilliance. Pausal, I'm glad to say, continues this winning streak of excellent releases with just over an hour of brilliant ambient dronescapes that pretty much hit the spot every time.
The first comparison has to come with the album's longest track Velmead In Common, if anything on this album feels like it could belong on the latest Stars Of The Lid album, then this is it. 14 minutes of the slowest time destroying ambient drone, as good as anything by the aformentioned grandmasters of ambience. Yet, to some degree, this isn't ambient... maybe it's more than that. Loud or quiet, it could give Merzbow a shock on huge speakers (though, noise this is certainly not). Although I don't think that is the point it's the sort of music that could become anything you want it to be.
Each track seems to pick away at something just beyond it's grasp, like the feelers of some small insect, inquisitive and engrossed, yet with a sense of danger almost. Though maybe that is a slightly ribbish way of putting it, I think I'm trying to get at the fact this is broken and lonesome music that at the same time is touchingly beautiful.
And now of course I am lost for any more words and pathetic similies/metaphores to really explain this release well. Simply put, name any ambient or drone artist that has really hit you square in the face, and this release qill quite probably do the same thing, only possibly a little more quietly and without the bells and whistles.
Review Comments