We're no strangers to praising the works of New Orleans droneographer Chris Rehm, and that is primarily due to how he blurs the line between songwriting and exploration. Last year's Salivary Stones consisted of equal parts commodious serenades and turbulent noise excursions. Self-described as "cave wave," what Rehm refers to as a 'wave' is not what the prefixes "new," "no," or "chill" cling to; this is something physically dense, aspiring to rattle your soul and your stereo system along with it.
Thematically, Worries, etc. fills one of Salivary Stones's voids, though dwells in a similar environment. Worries emits a bleak, opaque coarseness where its beauty is ensnared within luminescence. When set aside its precursor, these 28 minutes aren't quite as uncompromising; at its most tumultuous, nocturnes like "Blinders" are whirring, malfunctioning and once entirely decomposed, emanate a sense of composure. In Rehm's hymnal modality on "Vents," his words quiver in reverberation as distorted tones surround them, "I'm driving alone/I'm biting my teeth as hard as I can/My hands sweat/and I don't know who I am." To recapitulate, difficulty isn't the focal point of Worries as much as the sense of isolation and alienation is.
Worries, etc.'s more predominant aura is largely due to what occurred over its gestation: beginning in 2008, the conception only consisted of a guitar loop that reiterates across the opening three tracks which Rehm elaborated upon when sculpting the album. Its lyrical themes revolve around breakups, traveling, and other struggles, translating well into not only into Rehm's delivery, but into the atmosphere surrounding his voice as well.
Rather than displaying a discernible contrast between the cerebral and the comprehensible, Rehm amalgamates the two into an environment that is distinctly his own. One of the most remarkable characteristics of Worries is its sense of pacing: despite the consistent brevity in his releases, so much can be derived from his work. The habitat evokes immediate fascination, yet Rehm's subtler counterparts require revisitation before transpiring. 'Incredible' isn't a word that I use often, but it's appropriate in the case of Worries, etc.
[Chris Rehm Myspace]
[Buy/Download Worries, etc. from Chinquapin Records]
No comments:
Post a Comment