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After years of avidly following The Tangent Project it is easy to notice a duality. They utilize their live performance experience as a means to explore the random relationship between time and space - while using the studio as a refined compositional tool. Their double CD Live 2010-2011 compiles significant musical moments from the time period of the title - and the duo has never sounded better. Jeff Coulter (synthesizers, sequencers) and Harrison McKay (electric guitar) are steadfast in the creation of exquisite sonic landscapes. Their carefully composed designs are based on a consistent, symmetrical sonic grammar developed through decades of work. As artists bring greater clarity to their vision over a lifetime, with further concert experiences Coulter and McKay have become more proficient at their craft and more of who they are musically. On Live 2010-2011 The Tangent Project shows a distinct talent for lingering on exquisite instrumental detail without halting the music's momentum. This sprawling set is overtly electronic in nature as Coulter's interlocking sequencer patterns, mellotron inspired chords and buzzing synth lines advance this work out into the cool of deep space. But McKay brings the heat with enough rock-inspired guitar solos and riffs so as to guide the music back into low Earth orbit. While the serial progressions and primary structures of minimalism found in the more excited sections demonstrate musicianship and virtuosity, the restrained passages of dark-hued subtlety are also very effective - revealing the full range of The Tangent Project's power. A welcome arrival Live 2010-2011 is in line with innovative music's continuing offer of a counter-idea to mainstream music. Their albums and concerts are for anyone seeking a deeper examination of sound and mood.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 17 May 2012 |
