drone / experimental / progressive
The ancient Romans had a simple but effective torture technique called 'The Endeavour'. They used it to see if a person was guilty of certain crimes. They boiled water and threw a pebble into the liquid. Then, while the water was still boiling, you had to reach in and grab the pebble, which obviously was extremely tiny for such a big bowl of hot water. Your hand would burn severely. Once out, they would take good care of your hand, wrapping it in bandages. After a few days, they then came to check on the wounds. If it didn't heal well, you were guilty. If it did heal well, they would simply repeat the procedure. There, that's a thing you know now.
'The Endeavour' is also the new album by Belgian atmospherimentalist Barst. Yeah, I just made that word up. I think it describes Barst's music very well. Once one of Belgium's many drone-ambient acts, Barst has made an impressive evolution in the past several years. His previous album, 'The Western Lands', had been very well received by press and fans. In fact, the album appeared in many end-year lists. On that album the ambient and drone music got company from a wide array of genres, including psychedelic rock, electronic dance music, EBM and whatnot. Topping something like that would surely be...
(bada-boom)
...an Endeavour.
So I guess the big question here is: has Barst been able to at least repeat that masterfully arranged album? Before we an answer, here is a list of people who cooperation on 'The Endeavour': Niels Brown (Vonnis), Gregory Simons (Vonnis, Arise Fair Sun), Messy Mathi, Mathlovsky (Mathlovsky), Tokyo Oyo, William Lacalmontie (OVTRENOIR) and Mike Armine (Rosetta). And since we're making lists, here is a list of acts that come to mind when I listen to 'The Endeavour': previous Barst, Lords Of Acid, The Cure, Atari Teenage Riot, Author & Punisher, Amenra, Wiegedood, Tangerine Dream, Godflesh, Autechre, Worriedaboutsatan, Nine Inch Nails.
Yes, my dear reader, Barst has managed to create something I can only describe as "flabbergasting". In 42 minutes, he treats the listener to a massive array of soundscapes, electronics, beats, sequences, guitars and whatnot. Barst is like a sponge that sucks up all possible sounds and live experiences and transform that into a surprisingly coherent entity. So yeah, I think he managed to top 'The Western Lands'. That album was already incredible but this one...this is simply astonishing. By now you'll probably already know that this comes highly recommended. This one is going to end up in many end-years lists, no doubt about that.
Serge
'The Endeavour' is also the new album by Belgian atmospherimentalist Barst. Yeah, I just made that word up. I think it describes Barst's music very well. Once one of Belgium's many drone-ambient acts, Barst has made an impressive evolution in the past several years. His previous album, 'The Western Lands', had been very well received by press and fans. In fact, the album appeared in many end-year lists. On that album the ambient and drone music got company from a wide array of genres, including psychedelic rock, electronic dance music, EBM and whatnot. Topping something like that would surely be...
(bada-boom)
...an Endeavour.
So I guess the big question here is: has Barst been able to at least repeat that masterfully arranged album? Before we an answer, here is a list of people who cooperation on 'The Endeavour': Niels Brown (Vonnis), Gregory Simons (Vonnis, Arise Fair Sun), Messy Mathi, Mathlovsky (Mathlovsky), Tokyo Oyo, William Lacalmontie (OVTRENOIR) and Mike Armine (Rosetta). And since we're making lists, here is a list of acts that come to mind when I listen to 'The Endeavour': previous Barst, Lords Of Acid, The Cure, Atari Teenage Riot, Author & Punisher, Amenra, Wiegedood, Tangerine Dream, Godflesh, Autechre, Worriedaboutsatan, Nine Inch Nails.
Yes, my dear reader, Barst has managed to create something I can only describe as "flabbergasting". In 42 minutes, he treats the listener to a massive array of soundscapes, electronics, beats, sequences, guitars and whatnot. Barst is like a sponge that sucks up all possible sounds and live experiences and transform that into a surprisingly coherent entity. So yeah, I think he managed to top 'The Western Lands'. That album was already incredible but this one...this is simply astonishing. By now you'll probably already know that this comes highly recommended. This one is going to end up in many end-years lists, no doubt about that.
Serge
