Death reviewed by Silent Ballet

7.5/10

Eric Quach and Jon Atwood have a lot in common: a love for guitar drones and soundscapes, a hunger for making music in their every breathing moment (nearly a hundred releases between the two of them) and an apparent disregard for that long horizontal button on the keyboard that we feeble mortals refer to as a “space bar”. Another similarity is that both are avid collaboration fans, so perhaps this collaboration - as the case is with the album's subject matter – was an inevitability.

The topic of death has been handled in all its forms and varying perspectives by artists, scientists and religious scholars alike. The subject has puzzled and awed humans as far as humanity has existed. It has been viewed as a passage to a different life, a temporary residence for the eternal soul, and simply as the end, the final full stop on the page of life. The thought of death provokes a multitude of mixed emotions: in some, a fear of the unknown, in others, a sense of eternal peace.

Drone music, when done right, has the ability to translate the friction between various contradictory feelings. It has the ability to lead the listener through an intended stream of thought to varying tangential routes determined by mood, personality, life philosophy and upbringing. This album succeeds in forcing this solemn state of mind onto the listener."Sand" starts slowly with a measured progression, bringing to mind Leah Buckareff's drop tuned bass sound and note choices for Nadja. This ensures the listener that this collaboration will yield much different results than either artist's previous works. In reality, neither artist is going totally out of his musical comfort zone; it is more of a compromise on the part of each to make the other's effort shine. Thisquietarmy's heavily abrasive sounds are trimmed down, while yellow6's reverb laden dreamy guitar appears a bit less dreamy, which makes the narrative all the more strong.

This becomes most apparent in the last track, “Salt”, which fills the entirety of the LP’s second side. The track is the best window into both artist's death perspective. Sadness and mourning are there, but one can't help but notice a romantic side. There's a sense that with every step taken back to try to avoid the inevitable, one is taken forward in an effort to discover that vast unknown. In this case, the metaphor used for the immeasurable emptiness of death is that of being stranded alone in the desert. This apt comparison is expertly executed with the aid of Dirk Serries' (VidnaObmana and Fear Falls Burning); his mastering skills help the songs to gel together perfectly.

Proficient might be the key word here. The album doesn't stray far from either artist's established sound, and their experimental willingness seems a bit absent. This is probably why this album doesn't yield the fantastic results of Quach's previous efforts with Aidan Baker and Scott Cortez. Quach and Atwood have already announced that this is the first of two releases they'll be doing together, and this is definitely a good sign. Let's hope they push more boundaries on the next one.-

Mohammed Ashraf

PS. As I was writing this, the light in the hotel I’m staying in went out entirely. I’m left with the music and only the light from my laptop. I would definitely recommend listening to this album in that state; just adds a whole new level to everything.