Tag Archives: Erased Tapes

On Record – David Allred: The Beautiful World (Erased Tapes)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Portland composer David Allred releases a new album on Erased Tapes dedicated to ‘the expression of existential themes such as death, grief, longing and loss’.

There is a deeply personal element to this expression, for the album is dedicated to a Lauren, a young family friend lost to suicide.

The Erased Tapes press release describes how he set about composing the album. “For some musicians, a change in instrumentation, theme or learning a new artistic vocabulary helps them to move in a different direction. For Allred, a long period of introspection was more relevant to the development of his practice:

“I find beautiful irony when I consciously disconnect myself from working on music because it gives me more fuel and inspiration to engage in it more meaningfully when I resume. In the past, I used to work and create recklessly without boundaries which led to growth and success but at the cost of occasional disassociation. I would be checked out at times even while working […] but now that I make music less often, I feel like I’m growing with what I do, and truly living life more. And since I’m getting more out of life, I have more to say. These boundaries have given me greater access to the things that inspire me, along with a peace of mind and the ability to rest when I maintain this balance.”

His work on the album brought a realisation that everyone has a Lauren in their own way – making The Beautiful World a story of intense loss.

What’s the music like?

Allred immerses his listener in a lovely bath of sound from the start, Pupper creating a dense cloud of music that sets the mood for a period of intense reflection and meditation. It is however possible to sit outside the intensity as a listener, and just let the gorgeous sounds wash over you.

This applies particularly to tracks like Stray, with its soft piano prompts and rich flurries of texture that, while fast moving, act as a shimmering drone. Piano Tree brings the instrument to the fore, chiming through the instrumental haze. Meanwhile The Door has a touching fragility, starting as though replicating machines in a hospital but then with wordless voices that appear to inhabit the moment where a soul passes to the other side.

Allred’s personal tribute finds its apex in the touching Oh Lauren, telling her story in a moving commentary. Yet the closing Elevation 145 is similarly moving in spite of its lack of words. Here a surge of colour and consonant harmony, expressed as a drone, offers hope and dazzling light, in the form of a massive wall of sound.

Does it all work?

It does. Allred’s aim was to encourage listeners ‘to sit with the concept of grief…hopeful they can find comfort and learn to process it in a healing way.’ He certainly achieves that here.

Is it recommended?

Yes. The Beautiful World is a touching piece of work, striking in its simple beauty and with a reach that extends beyond grief to ultimate piece. It gives a great deal of consolation in troubled times.

For fans of… Peter Broderick, Arthur Russell, Ólafur Arnalds, Max Richter

Listen / Buy

https://davidallred.bandcamp.com/album/the-beautiful-world-1

Published post no.2,424 – Tuesday 28 January 2025

New music – Rival Consoles: Gaivotas (Erased Tapes)

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published by Ben Hogwood, with text appropriated from the press release

Rival Consoles returns with genre-blurring new piece Gaivotas, a first taster from his forthcoming ninth studio album, written during an experimental residency in Portugal last year.

“This music feels like one of the most intuitive things I have ever written”, says Ryan Lee West, the man behind the pseudonym. “The momentum that the piece establishes in the first breath pushes forward right until the very end and many of the ideas were created in a first-take moment that were exciting and liberating.”

The powerful accompanying video was directed by Vincent Duluc-David and shot in Kyrgyzstan, where we follow the life of a group of teenagers as one of them mysteriously disappears. You can watch below:

West will be touring as special guest with Kiasmos for select European shows in September, and returns to North America for Slingshot Festival and four headline shows in the Northwest in October.

Published post no.2,304 – 18 September 2024

On Record – Masayoshi Fujita: Migratory (Erased Tapes)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

A new album from Masayoshi Fujita, whose exploits with the vibraphone and marimba have seen him explore new sounds in music inspired by nature.

Fujita returned to his native Japan from Berlin in 2020, locating with his family in the mountains of Kami-cho, Hyōgo – where he turned an old kindergarten into a recording studio. The first album released on his return, Bird Ambience, put Arcana under its spell with its enchanting and expressive writing.

To his well-known mix of marimba, vibraphone and synthesizer, Fujita now adds vocals from Moor Mother and Hatis Noit, with guest contributions on saxophone (Osamu Fujita) and shō (Mattias Hållsten).

What’s the music like?

Listening to Fujita’s music is akin to glimpsing a rare bird in bright evening sunshine. His compositions are notable for their rare beauty, and on Migratory he captures the climate of late summer sunshine. It’s easy to imagine where these works were composed, with a great deal of light and space but also brightness that makes the music glint at the edges.

Pale Purple is an especially beautiful composition, with soft drones and half-conscious thoughts on the marimba given wonderful colours by the shō. Moor Mother excels on Our Mother’s Lights, where the brightly coloured textures shimmer in response to the voice. There are lovely, soft tones on the restful Desonata, while the tone painting on In A Sunny Meadow is uncanny, and rather beautiful. Valley, meanwhile, is a mere breath of wind, drawing the listener in with its subtle bass sounds.

Does it all work?

It does. Fujita writes fluently and gracefully, the bright tones of his music lifting the mood.

Is it recommended?

Yes. If you’ve been following Fujita’s career you will not be surprised to learn that his masterful way of writing for vibraphone and marimba remains unchanged, but the addition of extra instruments here mean the music blossoms, extra colours added to his spectrum.

For fans of… Terry Riley, Laraaji, Bing & Ruth, Harold Budd

Listen and Buy

Published post no.2,301 – Saturday 14 September 2024

On Record – Tristan Perich & Ensemble 0 – Open Symmetry (Erased Tapes)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Open Symmetry is the first release on Erased Tapes from New York-based composer Tristan Perich.

As the commentary for the album describes, ‘Open Symmetry pares the ensemble down to just three musicians playing the resonant metal bars of three vibraphone accompanied with a glistening ensemble of 20 speakers, each playing their own separate musical part of the composition.”

Open Symmetry was the result of a meet-up in 2014 between Perich and Ensemble 0‘s Stéphane Garin, who commissioned the piece. Writing for three vibraphone and 1-bit electronics, Perich soon realised it would be a large-scale piece, and the piece occupied him until its premiere in 2019. This is the first recording.

What’s the music like?

Hypnotic is an oft-used word in musical descriptions, but it applies perfectly to the effect this epic piece has on its listener.

Perich’s treble-rich writing creates a rarefied atmosphere, and as the scope of the piece becomes clear there is a sense of assurance, the listener able to kick back and enjoy the piece on two levels.

The first and most immediate level is the short term, and the energetic loops Perich packs together for the vibraphones. Then, as the sections unfold, there is a long-term contentment, the music progressing naturally through each stage without losing any of its momentum.

After a bright introduction, Section 2 is where the pulsing qualities of the music really take hold, before Section 3 opens out beautifully into oscillating figures. Section 4 pulses with warmth and light, initially slow but ultimately powering through. Section 5 becomes like a shower of silvery rain, before Section 6 adopts a more percussive profile of chimes.

A buildup of energy ensues, emphatically released in Section 7 with a thrilling flurry of staccato chords that power to an ecstatic finish.

Does it all work?

It does. Perich writes with impressive conviction and creates vivid colours through motifs that dance in the half light.

Is it recommended?

Yes, enthusiastically. This is a highly impressive achievement, a substantial piece of minimalist music that is both original and effective. Like a long session of bell ringing, Open Symmetry will leave its listeners transfixed.

For fans of… Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley

Listen and Buy

Published post no.2,257 – Thursday 1 August 2024

Switched On – Kiasmos: II (Erased Tapes)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

‘Emotional rave’ is the slogan Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen have applied to their second outing as Kiasmos. Due no doubt to intensive work schedules and popularity, it arrives ten years after their self-titled first long player together.

It is more of a widescreen affair than the self-titled debut, and included a trip to Ólafur’s studio in Bali in 2021. There the duo stayed for a month, writing and recording several tracks.

What’s the music like?

An absolute state of bliss is achieved as the first track arrives on the breeze, Grown becoming a beautiful blend of atmospherics and a stately chord progression. Sailed presents a relaxing middle ground, a languid melody, but offset by a busy drum track that keeps everything moving.

From there the songs follow a relatively familiar pattern, whereby a swell of cinematic, quasi-orchestral music is followed by a dip, where the drum track retreats and mottled piano takes centre stage, before the build up begins again and the drums return in a busier state. This happens to rich effect with the strings in Laced and Bound, and powerfully so on Squared.

Flown has a really nice piano / harp motif, while Dazed is a beauty, infused with Balinese percussion and the echoes of a sunrise, together with upright piano.

Does it all work?

It does – though at times the music sticks too rigidly to a familiar format and structure. That is potentially good for fans, though for this particular listener it led to a wish for more experimentation, knowing what the two artists are capable of.

Is it recommended?

It is – especially if you have the first Kiasmos album and are familiar with the solo works of the two artists. This is ideal music for taking the emotional weight off a day, or providing valuable time out – and the feeling persists that any sequel collaboration could really take off with a more instinctive approach.

For fans of… Nils Frahm, Max Richter, Rival Consoles

Listen & Buy

Published post no.2,236 – Thursday 11 July 2024