CR167 (1 items)

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  Artist/Title: Entente Cordiale - life underground 8 Format: 2CDR Label: Carbon Records Price: $10 Catalog ID: CR167 This is a set of studio and live Entente Cordiale recordings. disc 1 consists of a studio session at the Bunker in Rochester NY, recorded by Nuuj (of Pengo/Asthmatic/Tuurd). three pieces varying from the EC guitar pattern/drone approach, and ending with an on-the-edge of falling apart secular mantra before diving into the most uncharacteristic EC sounds to date (channeling the then future direction of Tumul). disc 2 consists of a long live set recorded at Soundlab in Buffalo NY, when EC (accompanied by Nuuj) opened for the Yellow Swans. a marathon blast of loud guitar riffs, drones and deep synth action. [sprayed and silkscreened 5x7 chipboard stay-flat kraft envelopes with sprayed discs] Reviews (1): Foxy Digitalis I know that I’m not the only wholehearted advocate for Rochester, NY’s most excellent Carbon Records imprint, but I feel like there just isn’t enough love being broadcast throughout this worldwide ‘web’ of ours for this high-quality label. I can’t say enough how consistently these guys (guy, actually) issue quality recordings. Carbon Greatness Exhibit A: this latest double CD-R of guitar goodness from Entente Cordiale – a trio consisting of Chris Reeg, Will Veeder and Carbon boss man Joe Tunis. These guys specialize in slow-motion shredding and extended feedback wrangling. The two discs that comprise “Life Underground” demonstrate the two unique faces of the EC oeuvre. The first disc is a home studio recording, while the second disc documents a single live show from a few months prior to the studio session. Both discs amply serve as platforms for the group’s relaxed approach to improv, but each contains a unique cache of treasures befitting the specific recording environment. In the studio, EC showcases their sense of balance: melody is played off of dissonance, and quietude begets commotion. On the first track, a short guitar line repeats ad infinitum underneath a slowly-building web of textured guitar noise. The second and third tracks are lengthy feedback-laden sludge feasts whose landscapes are littered with the debris of ruined guitars. The live disc is a demonstration of the drone-to-chaos aspect of the EC sound. What starts out as a manageable slow-burning ember of sound erupts into a frenzied blaze, with furious waves of feedback cast to and fro. A churning cascade of deep-end drone pierces the madness, reeling in any stray frequencies. There is almost two hours of music on “Life Underground”, enough to satiate the hungriest of out-guitar fans. After this, do we need any more evidence that there is quality music coming from the bowels of post-industrial America? I think not, but I welcome it anyway. 9/10 - Byron Hayes