Search - Bill Laswell :: Invisible Design II

Invisible Design - Invisible Ideas - Invisible Songs...

4-Legged Defender | ATL. GA. | 05/07/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As a huge Laswell fan ( I have several HUNDRED cd`s he`s written, produced, reconstructed and played on ), I was eager to get my paws on this release. Knowing it was on John Zorn`s Tzadik Label, I had hopes it would be even 'farther out' than the first Invisible Design cd, which was good but predictable fare for Laswell ( quasi-Ambient dub with a Sly + Robbie/Jah Wobble vibe with Bill`s patented sub-woofer shattering bass as lead instrument). Unfortunately, it`s not at all like the first, as there are no rhythm tracks, it`s just Laswell noodling around on Spacey basslines that don`t get developed into anything that remotely resembles a song or repeatable phrase. Too much freedom is a dangerous thing for musicians (this I know from firsthand experience), as it encourages somewhat pointless self-indulgence, which is what`s on vivid display here, I'm sorry to say. Again, I reiterate I'm a huge fan and this won't stop me from running after his next release, but this one has more in common with the bass work he provided on Eno`s 'Ambient' series of recordings than it does with his own catalogue. Decide for yourself based on these disclosings whether it`s your thing or not. My copy`s collecting dust..."