| Artist: Mikronesia Album: Torn Ivory Released: 18 June 2013 |   |
|
Noise is a social disagreement. Is it meaningless din? or a dazzling mosaic of unique timbres? Noise is everywhere, and it is trying to tell us something. The Philadelphia-based Michael McDeromtt performs and records under the name Mikronesia, and his CD Torn Ivory (53'31") utilizes a number of concepts whose characteristics may be thought to resemble those of noise. At its most basic Torn Ivory is an album of Ambient piano works - although the seven tracks, once deciphered do not stay that way. Recorded with a blatantly lo-fi aesthetic McDermott's piano playing will never seem as glossy and spacious as his contemporaries - as his is a different kind of expressivity. The compositions on Torn Ivory are not filled with the typical deep resonant tones and cavernous reverberation, but with a more unusual fare of static, hiss, crackling, environmental sounds, archaic drones and modulations, a range of distortions and other sounds - which some listeners may identify as noise. The result is an interesting kind of lovely - made more beautiful because of all the gritiness surrounding it. The space between the notes teems with digital clamor, within which the listener helps to turn off the neural seesaw between reality and dreams - where we can hear the clear signal within the noise.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 14 November 2013 | |
| Reviews |