Loren Connors/Vapour Theories: split LP (Carbon Records, 2014)
November 4, 2014 at 8:41 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment
Loren Connors/Vapour Theories: split LP
Yet another LP from astonishingly prolific avant-guitarist Loren Connors, who’s released at least a hundred records since the ’70s. His side of this split LP is a live session from 2011, which is slow, reserved, and sparse, and alternates between being drowned in distortion/echo and being clear and upfront. Plenty of silence surrounds the echoing guitar notes, and it feels like he’s playing huddled in the corner of a cave with just a single candle providing light. Sometimes it’s more languid and calm, and other times he’s ruthlessly attacking his guitar. A few times, swirling wah-wah affects are present, which seem to trigger avalanches of feedback. The other side of the LP is by John and Michael Gibbons of Bardo Pond, Alasehir, Hash Jar Tempo, and a ton of other projects. This side seems to take a straighter path, with one guitar playing a more rhythmic pattern and the other soaring above, twisting into shapes and singing a mournful, feedback-drenched cry. It’s rough, but not quite as dirty/scuzzy as Bardo Pond, and is pretty accessible, unless you’re averse to long guitar jams. It fades out after 19 minutes, but honestly I wouldn’t mind hearing it go on a lot longer than that.
The Answer Is In The Beat 
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