An electric Amen...
svf | 01/24/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The first thing to understand is that there are no drums.
Well, not exactly -- a lone cymbal pulses throughout the second movement, which culminates in some manic drumming buried in the depths of the sonic stew. But this is not toe-tappin' and/or head-bangin' Rhys Chatham like Guitar Trio, Die Donnergotter, or An Angel Moves Too Fast To See. Instead, think Charlemagne Palestine's marathon drones, Brian Eno's Discreet Music, or maybe Anton Bruckner's adagios... as played by 400 electric guitars.
Also consider that the experience and sheer spectacle (bordering on ritual) of 400 electric guitars performing in an enormous basilica at an all-night concert in Paris would be damn near impossible to capture on a recording. So just as the CD of Chatham's 100 guitar opus An Angel Moves Too Fast To See, as great as it is, surely pales in comparison to the actual concert, imagine the engineering difficulties presented by a group four times that size before an audience of 10,000 people.
What we end up with is this very raw, very "live," almost bootleg-ish document of the October 2005 performance of A Crimson Grail (Moves Too Fast To See) on the adventurous Table of the Elements label. And we should be thankful.
The first movement is surprisingly gorgeous and serene, as the guitarists coax shimmering chords from their instruments that resonate like some kind of massive spectral chorale. It's hard to believe that hundreds of electric guitars could be producing these awesomely beautiful, sometimes eerily choral waves of sound.
The next movement is somewhat darker, with that subtle cymbal pulse taking us from adagio to andante and the players repeating bell-like tones, chiming in a sonic haze and churning toward an apocalyptic (or is it triumphant?) conclusion. Chatham pulls out all the stops in the final movement, which slowly builds from a steady drone to an almost impossibly dense mass of rhythmic strumming.
The cheering audience is then rewarded with a final coda, as the guitar army intones one last gigantic, ecstatic chord -- an electric "Amen"..."
Calls to mind GYBE, Stars of Lid and Glenn Branca
almosthappy | San Diego, CA, California | 08/30/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The music on this CD is definitely minimalist, but not minimalist in the traditional sense. By traditional, I was thinking John Cage and Arvo Part, whose compositions are indeed minimalist but still have defined melodic structures. A Crimson Grail does carry on some of the traditional minimalist techniques, such as structured repetitions and phasing. Melodies, however, are mostly buried under a wall of sound made up 400 (yes, 400) amplified electric guitars. The music is droning, hypnotic, yet powerful at the same time. The wall of sound with a micro-tonal texture, over time, slowly moving and morphing and brewing, in an almost organic manner. At times, the brooding crescendo calls to mind Godspeed You Black Emperor at their droniest. At the end of the three lengthy and patient build-ups, there is a sense of catharsis and a sense of closure. Some obvious comparisons: Stars of the Lid, Windy & Carl, Glenn Branca, and Cornelius Cardew. If you dig any of the aforementioned musicians/bands, you will probably like A Crimson Tide. In my opinion, like [...], this CD is better enjoyed alone. It does take the right frame of mind and patience for the sound to grow. You can listen to R Kelly with your mates over a beer or two and share some laughs, but if you popped this CD out in polite company, your friends will likely to think that you're crazy, pretentious or both."
Fantastic!
C. Crane | Chicago | 12/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I really enjoyed this cd. It's very unique and unexpectedly soothing. It has beautiful clear, rich chords and I completely agree with one reviewer who said it has "a nearly angelic aura, blissfully mingling crystalline consonance with an awe-inspiring sense of the infinite.""
Track Listings (3) - Disc #1