The Canadian duo of Ryan Connolly and Nick Maturo known as Sundrips has dispersed work in limited cassette form since late 2009. Since then, their saturated, synth- and guitar-based soundscapes have gained notoriety on small-run labels such as Digitalis Limited, Sacred Phrases, and most recently Hooker Vision. The outfit has now found their way onto what-could-be their first "proper" album, considering that alongside a nicely packaged CD-R there comes the unlimited availability of a download as well.
Just A Glimpse can be deemed a perfectly appropriate title for this 35-minute outing; in the midst of Sundrips' vast discography, this is a mere snapshot of their capabilities, though exhibits the dyad in their prime. Opening with "When," Sundrips illustrate the heavenliest vista on Glimpse; a lulling guitar melody dances in echo as vibrato chords ease the groove into a drifting nimbus. The medial triptych dips into a dissonant facet, with louring resonances, rusty waves of feedback, and an agitated disposition-- "Suspended" being the apex of these four-to-five-minute barrages. Unlike other projects that stem from the formless, electronic realm, Sundrips peg dynamics as the marrow of their work.
The seven tracks on Just A Glimpse represent one of the rare occasions when brevity is powerfully effective. Sundrips lure the listener into a reverie long enough to sense a euphoria, yet depart before eroding the ecstasy. Even amidst the entrancing pulse of "Perseids" or the looping arpeggio of "Access Point," detours remain to guide pieces into opposing planes. In the thick of such an overwhelming juncture of new age revivalism and synthesizer rekindling, Sundrips carve a niche that banishes all association.
[Sundrips Myspace]
[Buy Just A Glimpse from Debacle Records]
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