Maiandros, eloquently described as a “masterful sonic performance before silence” by the liners, should be approached with a cool head and, most crucially, finely tuned nervous system in order to gauge its effectiveness. Dare we say brutal effectiveness in this situation. It was recorded on October 28, 2020, on the eve of one of the numerous Covid-enforced closing periods, in a way symbolizing the need to communicate the mute anguish experienced by too many people during the last three years, while also reminding that we (still) have a chance to express ourselves.
With Jérôme Noetinger‘s Revoxes adding grotesque musique-concrete shades and subhuman deformations to the synthetic and intelligently noisy emanations of Francisco Meirino, who later structured in the studio the raw material obtained from the live set, the trio’s electroacoustic apparatus has obvious analog inclinations, efficiently enhanced by field recordings and radio revenants. This is demonstrated on “Cocyte & Phlégéthon” with sound elements between colloidal and rebellious, but not really rabid. Antoine Chessex‘s processed sax and electronics soar down out and into the mix, literally forming chemtrails of ill drones among the confusion of bizarre overlays and alterations.
The composition on the second side of the LP, aptly titled “Tunnel,” involuntarily portrays, quite explicitly, the collection of unsettling feelings supplied by modern existence. The usage of misshapen voices is complemented by a larger degree of distortion inside the sound mass’s monolithic appearance, rather insistent in its cyclicality. We can distinguish bloodcurdling screams in the midst of an oppressive mixture, along with whips (at least, that’s what I think they are), and other hues that don’t necessarily suggest blue skies of hope. In the end, the horrible dream is instantly destroyed by stillness. However, one is well aware that there will be plenty more.
MASSIMO RICCI. TOUCHING EXTREMES. 