Labfield - Fish Forms [Bottrop Boy - 2008]Fish forms brings together three pieces of edgy & rewarding improvising, with each piece full of its own depth, surprise and effective atmosphere. Labfield are made up of Scandinavian talent in the form of David Stackenäs (guitars, electronics) and Ingar Zach (percussion). The track Gin opens up the album and is also the longest piece here at just shy of the 25 minute mark. With it’s title being rather apt in the way it builds up from spirit clear drone craft, to an intoxicating atmosphere built from layers of drone textures, stuck fish rod unreeling tones, sinister aquatics and all manner of textural events, which keep the track both appealing, strange and edgy. Track two Rin is built around stuck summertime like layers of strummed gitar cords, with slight electronic storms & strum tones building/shifting just so slightly over the top. At about the two minute mark a solo guitar enters full of country melancholy. The track mangers to portray a feeling of stuck beauty and an eternal sun rise that never fully gets there. Lastly we have the track Showa which starts up with a great feeling of glitch drone tension, as the track progressors other elements are brought in; aquatic/ running water like textures, tinkling like tones. At about five minutes into this 10 minute track as the tension gets almost unbearable a distorted locked guitar tone is added along with more defined cymbal percussion, before easing off the tension to near silence as the track fades. Making an effective ending to an resourceful, sonically rich and rewarding slice of improvision. Roger Batty
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