Static Motion bewitches with unique sonic rituals that beautifully combine mystery and power. This is simply captivating music by four skillful guys who think outside of the box and defy classification.
Sonar‘s sound architecture is complex and raw, but very rewarding to the attentive ear. It strikes with surgical precision and is full of young and vigorous energy. Static Motion is the second album by the Switzerland-based quartet but the first for the mighty US-based Cuneiform label. The stimulating and eccentric music of Sonar certainly fits Cuneiform’s eclectic catalog.
This is my first encounter with Sonar, but now that I have experienced its distinctive formulated music, I have no doubt in my mind that at some point I will check out its debut album, A Flaw of Nature (Ronin Rhythm, 2012), as well.
Static Motion bewitches with unique sonic rituals that beautifully combine mystery and power. Far away in an old hidden tower, surrounded by a threatening ancient forest, four enchanters from the future masterfully perform these rituals with only two guitars, bass, three small amplifiers and a basic drum kit. No sequencers, loops or computers. Everything is done live, with just a bit of reverb and tremolo. Together they explore the possibilities of their own self-created sonic universe which is heavily infused with the tritone interval, also known as “the devil’s interval” or the “devil in music” (“diabolus in musica”). Each one of these sonic rituals moves like a crafty cyborg serpent which often changes its color and shape. Sometimes they lurk and twist, sometimes they lure and sting.
This quartet is not into empty technique displays and endless pointless solos. These guys are not here to show off or impress anybody. These guys are all about playing together as a crystallized unit that generates deadly wholes by equally combining its members’ strengths. They don’t outshine each other, they intensify each other. They operate dynamically within the boundaries which their unique formula sets, and this nurtures electricity and tension. At your local record store Static Motion might be found under progressive rock or experimental jazz, but these labels do not do justice to it. This is simply captivating music by four skillful guys who think outside of the box and defy classification. These sounds haunt the listener who dives in and listens attentively, long after the record has finished playing.
Static Motion is available on Cuneiform.
