Texture tranches and melodic motifs slow building and transforming in grand designs of pretty particulate patterns; this not by the customary electronic tweakery of acoustic sources but by mixing purely acoustic with purely electronic—shifting from guitar, cello, organs and electric piano to modular electronics and sundry synthesis.
A new set from Koen Holtkamp and Brett Anderegg, whose oeuvre as Mountains has been, if not the last word, then one of the most feted in ambient and electro-acoustic circles in recent years. Though they have previous, 2009′s Choral is the most cogent keynote, sounded in slowburn sustains, pluck patinae and stretched strummings. 2011’s Air Museum betrayed a growing influence from electronic algorithms, while still holding to original tenets. Centralia tends towards a fusion of the two, texture tranches and melodic motifs slow building and transforming in grand designs of pretty particulate patterns; this not by the customary electronic tweakery of acoustic sources but by mixing purely acoustic with purely electronic—shifting from guitar, cello, organs and electric piano to modular electronics and sundry synthesis. Climbing from base camp to summit, and back, the duo cover Mountain-ous terrain between the less overdriven interstellar workouts of Emeralds and a swelling twinkling pastoralism beloved of starry Liddites.
“Sand” begins Centralia on an auspicious note, an idly recursive chiming gradually accruing low tones and oscillating synth waves, eventually turning into neo-Kosmische analog-jam. Songs like “Tilt” and “Identical Ship” are of similar construction, assembled from guitar figures, built through synth swells into steepling peaks. The seeming synth thralldom is understandable, the retro-futurist Kosmische synth glut of recent vintage having rendered it Flavour of the Month—one that has, however, tended to over-exploit its welcome. But over-familiarity breeds, if not contempt, then a certain disengagement. Mountains zone is more one of comfort when a balance is found between electronic and organic, as on “Identical Ship,” which finds and well sustains a confluence of acoustic arpeggios, piano twinkle, and fibrillating synth. In general, the more guitar-heavy pieces distinguish themselves, e.g. the softly shimmering “Living Lens.” A couple of pieces with additional musicians also feature, the shorter “Liana” something of a standard issue burbling and twinkling Kosmische starter to the celestial bliss-out mains of “Propeller” both ending in guitar grunge after oodles of synthi-noodles.
Ultimately, though, most tracks succumb after sometimes great notions to slow absorption in cloying synth-y candy floss, meaning Centralia‘s parts stop short of achieving transcendent sum.
Centralia is available on Thrill Jockey [Release page]
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