Irresistable little box of wonder from Wistrec, the little Irish art house with big, innovative packaging ideas (cf. its “Book Report” series).
English sound innovator Fescal, now residing just north of Seoul, has been out cloudwatching and produced three pieces capturing their effect on The Descending Light. To house them, Wistrec has crafted a small, coffee-coloured box and cleverly secreted the 3″ disc under the lid. Beneath a pile of chunky cards featuring cloud photography by Pierre-Emmanuel Tendero, another disc is found, slipped into its own pocket, a remix disc. Upon emptying the box entirely, one final surprise—a rectangular hole has been cut into the bottom, turning it into a nifty slide viewer through which one can see the light shine through yet another buttermilky image.
Fescal first assays the luxurious, nine-minute “Awake Before I’m Down,” thick with the texture of early-morning sluggishness gently hectored by a repeating trio of optimistic notes. “Breaking Point” flutters the same air but can’t disperse it, only chop it into a grid. The last track, “The Lark Ascending” is a dark, heavenly consecration, densely roiling guitars raging but not let loose, like the storm never unleashed by the black cloud.
The remixes are all variations on “Breaking Point” by an impressively international cast and all shine right through the haze. 1 & 7— Craig Tattersall and Steve Oliver—make the light pulsate, whereafter Phillipe Lamy recalls the quietening of the city just as the rain starts to fall, dripping off the eaves at close range. Stockholm’s Hummingbear, making his first on-record appearance, ekes out fragile guitar over a shuddering “Shepherd´s Delight.” Yuco evokes a big, empty country house echoing with the repeating theme on a hybrid harpsichord. Finally, Holland’s Gluid rescores Fescal’s ambient into a meticulously composed but airy and celebratory pop song. Each opens a new window onto Fescal’s huge skyful and sees something very different, but very complementary to the original.
So much world in such a tiny little box.
The Descending Light is available on Wistrec. [Release page]
