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Review: |
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Record company compilations are by nature a mixed
bag. What else could they be? Not even the coolest, hippest
label bats a thousand. What to make of the Chicago-based Soundless
Records compilation, Say Nothing to No One? Well,
as far as I can tell, it's from Chicago, which is a good sign.
Lots of good sounds come from Chicago. Heck, the jazz
alone could power the eastern seaboard. Since these are probably
all new bands, you might look at this as a crystal ball, a snap
shot of what the near future of the music landscape might look
like. In the end, the individual artists are left to speak for
the themselves.
Jessica Bechtold starts the thing with a lovely little tune, a sad number with
a piano backbone and swirls of electronic beep and squiggle
for background. Leaves this listener a bit melancholic, in a
wistful way. A good start. Acomputer (I think I get it!) follow,
with a chirpy electronic number. Reminds me a bit of Mouse
on Mars, with its pop-oriented burp and gurgle. There's
a music box melody that runs throughout, which does not reduce
the song to novelty, but rather adds a self conscious sort of
charm.
Nate Ruth hits next, bringing a mumbly, little grunge-flavored
pop/folk tune to the proceedings. Mr. Ruth avoids falling into
past flavors, but instead shows us the inner Syd Barrett that
was always at the heart of Mr. Cobain. A crunchy and meaty math
rock number via Mission of Bermuda follows. The ghost of that
other fabled
Mission of .... band can be faintly heard underneath the
muscle and angle. Jonathan Heathcote next delivers a layered
and thumping electronic piece, with vocals riding over a pummeling
electronic beat. The song takes several unexpected turns that
are almost Beatlesesque at one point. It's compositionally textured
and somehow catchy.
Temp Sound Solutions deliver another electronic piece, or at least a guitar/electronic
tune with a patina of Metal. Not industrial in the strict sense,
the song is more of an instrumental version of Nine Inch Nails
mating with Autechre.
Millipede (good name for a band) cook up a dub electronic bit,
a sort of stop and start tune, heavy on atmospherics and reflecting
a post-rock vibe. Carolee moves us near the end with yet another
electronic-tinged vocal exercise. Female vocals slightly buried
over electronic noise and varied percussion make the meat of
the song. Again, the varied textures make it memorable. Finally,
a composition by one Mike Dooling closes the album. A stuttering,
shifting collage of processed vocals create a sonic landscape
that, unlike the other tracks from the album, falls far from
pop or standard song structure. What it lacks in standard song
narrative, the song makes up for in a layered, textured tension
that never quite resolves.
Though varied in content and approach, the album gives a nice
snapshot of Soundless Records. I'd hazard that, barring Nate
Ruth's synth-free song, electronics and power tools are the
dominant thread for the label. Each of the artists on display
do a good job of enticing one to sample further. Stand-outs
like Heathcote might do an interesting thing or three on a full
album. I walk away from the sampler with assurance that there
are still musicians and artists making sounds to be remembered
in the future, sounds that point toward continued surprise.
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