Caligine / 余益裔 - Verbi e Riverberi (Monstres par Excès, 2011)

Caligine / 余益裔 - Verbi e Riverberi
Monstres par Excès 2011

The first 5 tracks are by Caligine, and the last is by 余益裔. The first track, Radio Amitābha, features some light, background noise hiss in a field recording style and serves as a gentle opener. It’s only 30 seconds long. It segways smoothly into the background of the next track, Luce Viva I, which features some epic solo acoustic guitar meandering. Middle eastern modes, a bit free form in style. Also incorporates some nice harmonic picking and enters into some nice finger-picking work. Its haunting melodies remind me of Six Organs of Admittance during its Dark Noontide era. The third track, Luce Viva II, gets a little more complex with its technicality and if you listen closely in the background you hear some faint recordings of people speaking under the beautiful guitar work.

In the fourth track, Cadiamo in Pietre Vuote, the guitar continues but becomes backgrounded to some lightly pulsing electronic ambience with an ethereal feel. Some rain droplet sounds enter making a really nice combination with the pulsing, light beat. Sparse field recordings of people speaking, car horns honking as they pass. The field recordings continue into track 5, Il Freddo Riposa ad Est delle Montagne, (overall nice sequencing on the whole album) under some more acoustic guitar work. More rain, sounds of the wet street.

Track 6, Autophonia, by 余益裔, enters with some light hissing, faint bird chirping, cicadas, planes/helicopters, bells. One sound fading into the next quite smoothly. Then, out of nowhere, enters this AWESOME oboe-like instrument playing beautiful eastern pentatonic melodies. The bells/gong enter in unison with the melody, playing along. There is also a rainstick-like sound that enters. The oboe-like instrument enters and exits creating a nice spatial feel utilizing the silence.

Some rustling leaves enter along with some faint recordings of a TV or radio, something prerecorded of some old fashioned synth muzak. Next, it sounds like we’re at the beach with waves crashing. Some crackling from the wind. People talking. At around 19 minutes, it’s a very calmly paced track.

Very recommended split! Originally a white c60, 20 copies.

Download for free here: http://www.mediafire.com/?bhy1z6d916m9g1g