Before starting to review the first curiosity of the recent year - Ergo Phizmiz`s colossal, more than 14 hour long (sic!) album The Faust Cycle , it is time for a little stop to give credit to another album released under Headphonica, too.
Although the Puerto Rican drummer Nomar Díaz`s aka Mu.`s album Arecibo Psycodelic Classics 17: Abortos Musicales (2009) have the longitude of 35 minutes (within 14 tracks), it is informatively a fair-sized work. An amusant fact is that the album consists of the sounds which mainly are recorded with the microphone built up on the details of cell phones, and a ball of aluminium foil as well.
Because of having no precise visual review about this process details, I just will have to focus on song structures of it. Generally, I am being quite dubious about those artists who like to bling-bling with curious elements in their creating process as if it would be a new source for extraordinary sound, for instance, browsing Heidegger`s books - as one famous nu-jazz musician described his methodology in the interview for Wire 3-4 years ago. However, does it in fact add any kind of audible meaning to the sound? It is believable and meaningful some kind of metaphysics coming forth from accomplished song structures rather than by wrapping it around something to get some sophisticated or mystical output.
Given that there are some elements of free jazz, it is not just likely jazz, it is more avant-garde, though. Díaz, - there are some helpers too - plays drums and is mainly in a process of crossing samples over natural sounds - the snaps of the Native American shaman dirges and piano chords meet with metallic electro-acoustic beat cascades, thrill and bass, freeformfreakout and electronic layers. There is even one place where he prefers to wring his hands over ethnic drums. Moreso, there is also a true-blue hardcore rock (Demi Moore) presented - though its psychedelic incline. Indeed, the first part of the title, too, seems to suggest to psychedelic hangover, and the other concerns on interrupted song structures. However, I can`t agree with the second part, though. Notwithstanding the array of diverse sounds, the song structures will be clearly articulated and finished off. There are no moments I could think of them in another way. My favorite example is Loubriel's Psycodelic Odyssey, which is based on the array of abrasive synthetic sounds, lone and stubborn bass sequence, slight drumming, and synth passages in the ending part.
In conclusion, after the title it could be supposed that the main corollary of Arecibo Psycodelic Classics 17: Abortos Musicales was to come forth its concomitant feeling of freedom. After the end of the album, it is clear that the sounds were merely a means to achieve it.
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