drone / experimental / noise / bues
One of the artists who regularly appear on Merchants Of Air is Finnish experimentalist Junkyard Shaman, although I have to say that it has been a while now. Since the last time he was featured here, several new released have been published on bandcamp, all interesting examples of experimental music.
I picked out the blues experimentation of 'Noise Eater' for this review, since it is more than just some jamming and looping. This is a guitar based meditation, minimal but immersive. It's also best to be enjoyed with your eyes closed and your mind open.
The three track album opens with the elaborate 'The Space Between The Walls', a tune with an aptly chosen title. Slowly meandering blues guitars and repetitive loops really manage to fill a room with blissful sounds. Although I wrote 'blues', this music doesn't contain drums, vocals or anything else that might ruin the overall atmosphere. Instead, this track explores the slow, minimal regions, those where acts like Expo70 and people like Aidan Baker often stroll.
'Allegory of an Empty Room' does contain percussion but also not in a conventional manner. Here the main instrument is the sax, and an almost empty room with only some pots and pans, so to speak. The result is a strange free jazz tune that lasts for fourteen minutes. It's not my favorite but the experimental souls among us will surely enjoy this. The album ends with another nice drone ambient exploration in title track 'Noise Eater'.
In all, this is a splendid and enjoyable album and Junkyard Shaman still has a lot more up his sleeve. Take this other album, 'Dokkōdō' for example. If you want to experience sonic solitude, you might prefer this one over 'Noise Eater'. The tracks are shorter, but contain heaps of emotion. 'Syyt' is one for noise fans, a more abrasive and aggressive side of Junkyard Shaman while 'Flesh Consciousness' seems to aim at the avant garde specialists.
In any way, if you're into non-conventional music, this artist has a neat discography to explore. There is something for everyone, except maybe mumble rap and disco funk fans. My advice? Check it out, you'd be pleasantly surprised.
Serge
I picked out the blues experimentation of 'Noise Eater' for this review, since it is more than just some jamming and looping. This is a guitar based meditation, minimal but immersive. It's also best to be enjoyed with your eyes closed and your mind open.
The three track album opens with the elaborate 'The Space Between The Walls', a tune with an aptly chosen title. Slowly meandering blues guitars and repetitive loops really manage to fill a room with blissful sounds. Although I wrote 'blues', this music doesn't contain drums, vocals or anything else that might ruin the overall atmosphere. Instead, this track explores the slow, minimal regions, those where acts like Expo70 and people like Aidan Baker often stroll.
'Allegory of an Empty Room' does contain percussion but also not in a conventional manner. Here the main instrument is the sax, and an almost empty room with only some pots and pans, so to speak. The result is a strange free jazz tune that lasts for fourteen minutes. It's not my favorite but the experimental souls among us will surely enjoy this. The album ends with another nice drone ambient exploration in title track 'Noise Eater'.
In all, this is a splendid and enjoyable album and Junkyard Shaman still has a lot more up his sleeve. Take this other album, 'Dokkōdō' for example. If you want to experience sonic solitude, you might prefer this one over 'Noise Eater'. The tracks are shorter, but contain heaps of emotion. 'Syyt' is one for noise fans, a more abrasive and aggressive side of Junkyard Shaman while 'Flesh Consciousness' seems to aim at the avant garde specialists.
In any way, if you're into non-conventional music, this artist has a neat discography to explore. There is something for everyone, except maybe mumble rap and disco funk fans. My advice? Check it out, you'd be pleasantly surprised.
Serge
