OREN AMBARCHI & JIM O’ROURKE – Indeed

Editions Mego

After an initial onslaught of assorted blasts, outbursts and noisy clattering followed by a few moments of inquietude defined by asymmetrical traits of analogue synthesis, Indeed – first proper release from this pair of artists – stabilizes its sonic fluctuation into a series of not exactly hospitable milieus that hide several dangers under a veil of twisted permanence. From the moment in which the gradations utilized by Ambarchi and O’Rourke start directing the music towards the most occlusive regions of the audio spectrum, we’re in for a minor classic that owns absolutely nothing comparable to other records, past or recent, moving along similar coordinates. The morphology of this work is rather difficult to analyze as it unfolds, much less to predict. Electronics are a heavily influencing factor, generating unsystematic shifts and weirdly haunting drones (guitar-enhanced) whose transitory apertures deliver the mind from the existing encumbrances without promising heavenly certainties. The low frequencies are so strong sometimes that, even going in another room, it is still possible to get startled by an accumulation of metamorphic vibrations or by single thumps and/or surges. Minimal instrumental details – the appearance of a banjo, semi-concealed vibes and marimbas, a harmonica maybe? – highlight the coherence that underlies the entire piece, which is divided onto two sides of a vinyl album. It lasts just over 36 minutes yet it is enough to rejoice, especially in virtue of a clear distinction from nowadays’ mass products. In times like these, such a feature is quite rare to come across.