Century Plants / - Transmissions from the Outer Sun
Chronogram
The Capital Region free improv duo of Ray Hare and Eric Hardiman, each of whom doubles on guitar and electronics, has been releasing recordings under the Century Plants banner since 2007 while making similarly experimental/psychedelic sounds in a musically incestuous circle of projects that includes acts like Burnt Hills, Rambutaan, Sky Furrows, and Spiral Wave Nomads. Titled for the localities they were captured in, Transmissions from the Outer Sun's two lengthy tracks, "Albany" and "Troy," are wonderfully ambient space-outs that each feature a different guest drummer (Barn Owl's Matt Weston on the former; Burnt Hills' Phil Donnelly on the latter). When Hare repeats the vocal mantra "Are you really free? / Really, really free?" during the 25-minute "Albany," which was taped live at the Upstate Artists Guild in 2011, one can only answer in the affirmative. Cool stuff.
