Some people love ’em, others hate ’em. What am I talking about? Compilation albums, of course! And when they are a part of your conceptual approach as a label, they will find their way into my hands, because I usually love them. And there is a reason why I love ’em, provided they’re good compilations. Like a regular album, a good compilation tells a story; a lousy compilation is like the incoherent rambling of a meth-head who desperately needs another hit. This ’10th Annual Report” compilation knows a proper conceptual approach and – even though I have one little remark – is a compilation of the good kind.
Firstly, the Unexplained Sounds Group is a network of aural disorientation founded in 2015 by Raffaele Pezzella alias Sonologyst to investigate the experimental worldwide music scene. Loads of CDs, as well as downloads by dedicated artists or sudden collaborations, and a lot of compilations structured as “Anthology of [insert style] Music from [insert country or area]”. Next to that are annual reports, of which this is the 10th. So we have it that the story is good and to make it a little bit better even, there are two versions of this one. One on CD (pressed, not a CDR) and a digital version containing over four and a half hours of music. Including these 76 minutes and many hours of great additional sounds.
The CD has 76 minutes and 13 acts and is a compilation of various styles of experimentalism. There is some electro-acoustics, musique concrete, some minimalist noise, some droney behaviour, some ambience and even with my knowledge and background, I only know one name, Hendekagon, a.k.a. Signalstörung. All of the rest is new to me, and I must say, except for one moment, this whole album is excellent. Even though there are 13 different artists, it has a continuous pace and, most important, a stable ‘narrative’ theme. And that one moment? In Trampelfâd’s “Linear Plan 019”, the ending is too sudden. Yes, that is the only remark I have. A single fade-out that – in my mind – would have contributed to the flow. That is the only remark I could think of.
Both variations are a great way to end 2024 and to start 2025.
Comments
Post a Comment