here be brief reviews

If you live in temperate climes like Pittsburgh, you probably have noticed that once it gets to be below about ten degrees, it for the most part is really difficult to discern even otherwise considerable temperature variations; the difference between 1°F and 9°F is, as far as I’m concerned, largely negligible. Likewise for temperature variations above, say, 85°: is it 88 or is it 95? Is that practically useful knowledge?

Rhys Chatham’s “A Crimson Grail (For 400 Electric Guitars)” is much-anticipated and got a good Pitchfork review that has people talking about it, for whatever that’s worth. The big question here is whether it’s meaningful in the least to attempt to translate a performance of 400 electric guitars in a huge church into a recording and then release that on a CD. Is there a discernable difference on a compact disc between what comes out of 20 guitars or 50 guitars or 400? In short, I say, not really, but that doesn’t make the disc any less enjoyable or valuable.

The compositions are pure Chatham: minimalist pieces done in a maximalist style. The guitars roll like in a Phill Niblock drone, folding into one another. At a certain point, Jonathan Kane finally breaks in with his signature steady-does-it drumbeat, but it never becomes overwhelming.

It’s nothing as groundbreaking as seeing the spectacle in person would have been, but “A Crimson Grail” is a worthy addition to your collection if you like Chatham (or Branca, or Niblock, or whomever).

My other purchase over the weekend was from the used rack: Nobukazu Takemura’s “scope.” This is five tracks of glitchy electronic noise mixed with beautiful soundscapes, released by Thrill Jockey in 1999. Certain parts (especially “Taw”) go a bit too far toward disorganized bloopiness for me to enjoy listening, but overall, the good parts (the gorgeous “Kepler” sticks out) make it a worthwhile listen.