January Releases Embrace Reinvention and Risk

Release of the Month: January 2009

The Silent Ballet’s most sought after feature returns!

As the holidays faded from memory, a new American President was sworn in and the Year of the Ox began, the staff members of The Silent Ballet began to peruse dozens of new releases in hopes of finding sonic gold. 2009’s first Release of the Month competition (open only to those with January release dates) turned out to be hotly contested, a stark contrast to the cold weather outside.

Each of this month’s artists followed January’s theme of reinvention, taking risks on their latest ventures. Whether by adding melody or rhythm, by switching sound sources or identity, by eschewing vocals or by making the old seem new, each impressed us in a different way.

January was a cold, dark and melancholy month for many, but these releases gave us comfort and kept us warm. We cherish their companionship while we look forward to the thaw.

1) Elegi ~ Varde

Miasmah
Votes: 6

January’s Release of the Month is Elegi’s Varde, an icy album that begins with the sound of a snow shovel and delves into white-out conditions as it unfolds. This Norwegian conceptual release is based on Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated Terra Nova expedition. Scott and his comrades froze to death in 1912 on their return journey from the South Pole; their bodies were found huddled together eight months later. On Varde, Elegi captures the loneliness and isolation of the polar regions with dark ambient drones and washes, offset by a lone, mournful violin. Varde is the second album in a proposed trilogy, following Sistereis, which described a ship’s final voyage and seemed to take place in the oceanic depths. This latest album presents a more structured, melodic sound, and is the perfect accompaniment to a bitter season. (Richard Allen)

2) Giuseppe Ielasi ~ Aix

12k
Votes: 5

Experimental sound sculptor Giuseppe Ielasi demonstrates that expectations are pointless when dealing with the great artists of the genre. On Aix, Ielasi trades in the linear, droning and emotion-centric style of his previous output (encapsulated in the nearly-flawless August) for vertical, beat-driven, sample-centric work. In so doing, Ielasi breaks down all barriers in order to explore the full range of sound and its place in art. The combination of synthetic beats and organic field recordings works beautifully to blur the line between “sound” and “music,” calling the very existence of such a distinction into question. Ambitious, evocative, and above all, interesting, Aix is a microcosm of all that is right about experimental music, and is a release not to be missed. (Zach Mills)

3) Ethan Rose ~ Oaks

Baskaru
Votes: 2

Despite having been released in the first month of 2009, Ethan Rose’s Oaks will easily be one of the best ambient records of the year. Rose’s dual appreciation of tonal space and melody creates the deeply rich textures found on Oaks, with each new sound pulling the listener deeper into the experience. His penchant for using machines of yesteryear (a Wurlitzer on this release) mixed with digital manipulation enables a fresh, contemporary sound to flow throughout the release. The organic hum of “Fortunate” and the sparkling reverberation of “On Wheels Rotating” are particular highlights. Oaks is an album of great compositional craft and inherent beauty, one that TSB fans should not deny themselves the pleasure of hearing. (James Ould)

4) Dakota Suite ~ The End of Trying

Karaoke Kalk
Votes: 1

The End of Trying, the new album by British band Dakota Suite, is a collection of delicate piano pieces that often bring to mind the minimalism of Eric Satie. This is an album that requires careful exploration, but when given a chance it reveals itself as a masterpiece of artistic expression. The End of Trying can be thought of as the soundtrack to Britain’s bad weather, or perhaps as a chronicle of endless days that always feel the same. Even if the above mean nothing to you, you can’t help but admire the near-silent compositions and the band’s ability to say so much, using such little (noise). (John Kontos)

5) Alva Noto ~ Xerrox Vol. 2

Raster-Noton
Votes: 1

If judged as a follow up to the first volume of the Xerrox series – or his latest album Untxt – it’s safe to state that the album disappoints. Not a single beat, uplifting pattern or surprising sample is to be found on the second panel of Alva Noto‘s audible “new world” exploration. For the brave few who are able to discard their expectations lies the challenge to embark on an unguided tour through a sonic landscape of a post-nuclear holocaust. Resurrecting static and spasmodic digital conversations are duplicated (Xeroxed) over an uncatchable, extra-terrestrial bass, which tries to shift its shape into something sustainable on the monotone surface. Those who don’t fear the dark side of the Xerrox premise might find themselves haunted by ghosts on radiation-infested tape, but redemption can be found in the rumbling aftermath of vibrant delays and noise-scaping waves of strings. Just make sure you check your oxygen level and Geiger calibration before you head out there. (Jurgen Verhasselt)