Sunday, February 3, 2013

The Oratory Of Divine Love - "ARCHangel" CD


This experimental sound project of John Gore (of Cohort Records, 'kirchenkampf', etc.) has been silent for several years, but this 2-track, 60-minute album is a worthwhile bit of listening, and quite refreshing after too many black metal blastbeats and free jazz skronkings. 

Utiizing "only radios", and with "no overdubs", the album begins with "Part 1", which is a sort of urban ambience. It's full of subtle reverberations, laced with sounds you can almost make out, but it's all a swirl of foggy grey. It may even appear static to some ears, but upon closer listening, there's a lot going on. Imagine a busy intersection at rush hour, put the sounds into a blender and listen from the inside of a thick glass jar, if that gives you any indication.

"Part 2" is similar, but to these ears seems somehow darker, more spacious, and more forbidding. The deeply-resonating collage here resembles a cosmic disturbance, or a lonely journey down the fuselage of a deep space station. I consider that a good thing. 

"ARCHangel" is a work packed with depth and understated mystery. Definitely worth a listen.

No comments: