Wednesday, January 16, 2008
changeling
into great peace c40
[2007, not not fun]
one need not look much further than the artwork for roy tatum's latest opus to get a general idea of where he's coming from. it has a very clean look to it and the picture of the ocean on the cover is a fitting metaphor for the vast sound that this tape holds; however, if you're too lazy to infer, the album and track titles are a dead giveaway.
i really think that tatum should trade monikers with steev thompson since warmth is the best one word descriptor that i could use for this music. rather than use his disarming drones for psychedelia, changeling's music has a reflexive nature that's inherent to it. side a's enter tranquility is, appropriately, rooted in soft rolling waves. the foundation drone is more stretched out, slowly rising up before coming back down. the more focal drones are warmer and their ascending tonality gives tranquility enough character to sustain repeated listens. the second half of the piece has tatum changing it up (so to speak), as he begins integrating free-form electric guitar chords. by themselves, they don't stand out very much, but when taken as a part of the whole, there's something positive to be said about their assertive sound amidst the delicate backdrop.
enter serenity is a bit of a subtler piece of music which opens up by celebrating the expansiveness of changeling's sound, rather than immediately grabbing your attention. it takes about five minutes for this drifter to come back down to earth. when it does, we get a slow and lovely synth loop over the top of tatum's shimmering (yet, undistinguished) guitar, which sounds like a doleful artifact from early '90s shoegaze. in the continuance of a theme, the guitar will once again assume a larger role in the second half. this time, though, the memorable synth element isn't forsaken on behalf of the new one as roy's pedal-assisted buzzing cohabits the prettier space taken up by lilting ambiance.
up to this point, i hadn't been super into roy tatum's work with changeling. i recognized that it sounded nice, but i hadn't spent enough time with it for it to leave a lasting impression on me. then came that terrific black monk record, and i liked that enough to give his solo efforts a more patient listen and it's paid off with this lovely cassette.
Enter Tranquility
[2007, not not fun]
one need not look much further than the artwork for roy tatum's latest opus to get a general idea of where he's coming from. it has a very clean look to it and the picture of the ocean on the cover is a fitting metaphor for the vast sound that this tape holds; however, if you're too lazy to infer, the album and track titles are a dead giveaway.
i really think that tatum should trade monikers with steev thompson since warmth is the best one word descriptor that i could use for this music. rather than use his disarming drones for psychedelia, changeling's music has a reflexive nature that's inherent to it. side a's enter tranquility is, appropriately, rooted in soft rolling waves. the foundation drone is more stretched out, slowly rising up before coming back down. the more focal drones are warmer and their ascending tonality gives tranquility enough character to sustain repeated listens. the second half of the piece has tatum changing it up (so to speak), as he begins integrating free-form electric guitar chords. by themselves, they don't stand out very much, but when taken as a part of the whole, there's something positive to be said about their assertive sound amidst the delicate backdrop.enter serenity is a bit of a subtler piece of music which opens up by celebrating the expansiveness of changeling's sound, rather than immediately grabbing your attention. it takes about five minutes for this drifter to come back down to earth. when it does, we get a slow and lovely synth loop over the top of tatum's shimmering (yet, undistinguished) guitar, which sounds like a doleful artifact from early '90s shoegaze. in the continuance of a theme, the guitar will once again assume a larger role in the second half. this time, though, the memorable synth element isn't forsaken on behalf of the new one as roy's pedal-assisted buzzing cohabits the prettier space taken up by lilting ambiance.
up to this point, i hadn't been super into roy tatum's work with changeling. i recognized that it sounded nice, but i hadn't spent enough time with it for it to leave a lasting impression on me. then came that terrific black monk record, and i liked that enough to give his solo efforts a more patient listen and it's paid off with this lovely cassette.Enter Tranquility
