Not for the faint-hearted listener
Jens | Montréal | 04/27/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For those of us who love completely free improvisation, this is one of the most interesting and beautiful CDs you will ever hear. Like improvising itself, listening is subjective and requires attention and cooperation; this is not background music. My first impression of "Mechanical Ghost" was chaos-noise-core (much the way I initially heard "The Sign of 4," a great improvised set by Paul Wertico, Derek Bailey, Pat Metheny, and Gregg Bendian). Nonetheless, given a close listen, each track on this CD holds its own sort of structural integrity and beauty. "Dreams of Water," as the title suggests, is somewhat less intense than the first track. It features intelligent turntable work by DJ Chowderhead and occasional vocals by Kaoru. Stinson shines here on guitar. "Wooden Horse History" by Bone Structure may be my personal favorite. It features Jeff Gauthier on violin (Quartet Music, "Summer Night") and Gregg Bendian on Piano. This piece has a spaciousness that break free of the intensity on much of this album. "The Pump" by Stinkbug (see "The Allure of Roadside Curios") is industrial strength and features Nels Cline on guitar (see his recent "Coward" on Cryptogramophone). "Pocket" by Unique Cheerful Events changes the tone again, being more melodic and rhythmic. It features Kaoru's voice again and, like every track here, the amazing bass and "applied tools" of Steuart Liebig. "Diagonal" showcases great violin work by Gauthier. This piece begins with plenty of space and builds toward an interesting climax of guitars and bass by Stinson, Cline, and Liebig. "Dreams of Water, Part 2" brings it all full circle with an exquisite finale. Adventurous souls will enjoy this set immensely."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1