DANNY CLAY & GREG GORLEN - CONCH
GREG GORLEN - FRUITING STUMP
GREG GORLEN - PASSING CLOUDS
cascading fragments 2015
here's an unprecedented highest possible triple recommendation featuring GREG GORLEN / CASCADING FRAGMENTS
CONCH is synth-on-damaged-tape bliss, kinda like a warped and worn out copy of ENO's APOLLO, deeply alluring passages of wistful synth tones, longform variations, a companion work of sorts to previously recommended masterpiece LIGHT THROUGH LEAVES from earlier this year on MMM SOUND
FRUITING STUMP is a rich collection of dusty tape loops of piano and synth, alternately unsettling and awe inspiring, merging the sounds and moods of SKITTISH ARM with SEAN MCCANN's RECITAL catalog
the crown jewel is PASSING CLOUDS, a synth noir suite in two parts, retro sci fi horror tones with off track vhs warble and the warm crackle of old tape, gorgeous and heartrending like BASINSKI disintegrating BLADE RUNNER and TERMINATOR, it kinda reminds me of RANDALL MCCLELLAN's HEALING MUSIC OF RANA but less meditative and more emotionally charged, forlorn yet resolute, an all too brief half hour, an uneasy calm before an inevitable cataclysm and then nothing, silence -- i'm not well versed in GORLEN's aggregate discography as one alias or another via his in house imprints TURMERIC MAGNITUDES and CASCADING FRAGMENTS, but his recent works as "GREG GORLEN" and collaborations with DANNY CLAY indicate a sea change, leaving behind the chaotic noise abstractions i previously associated with him, i hope there's plenty more where this came from because this is absolutely amazing, without question he is making some of the most compelling ambient music out there right now
PASSING CLOUDS and FRUITING STUMP are sold out at the source, CONCH is still available from CASCADING FRAGMENTS and PASSING CLOUDS is available at TOMENTOSA - as is LIGHT THROUGH LEAVES which i think is now sold out at MMM SOUND - oh CF's packaging is just fantastic, snug heavy cardstock o-cards with lovely diy one-color wrap-around screenprint artwork and labels - i wish i could do stuff like this - anyway, all three are free downloads so absolutely grab em any way you can, all three deserve year-end accolades
