The Squid's Ear
Writing about improvised, contemporary, experimental and unusual music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!



The Squid's Ear




Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Steve MacLean 
  Ordinary Objects And Other Distractions
  (Recommended Records) 


  
   review by Jeph Jerman
  2017-05-17
Steve MacLean: Ordinary Objects And Other Distractions (Recommended Records)

A collection of mostly rhythmic pieces assembled from recordings of odd sound sources. Maclean recorded short bits using everyday objects and then layered, looped, stretched or otherwise manipulated them into short-ish assemblages. The resulting music can be quite alien sounding, and often changes rapidly from section to section while maintaining a sense of order and forward momentum. Not quite songs, these pieces show a huge pair of ears welded to an active imagination. It's difficult to even describe some of the sounds used, aside from the odd synth patch or well-used effect. Luckily for those who are curious, MacLean provides some elucidation in his liner notes.

The music sometimes seems composed for a children's film or series of comedic sketches. There's a lot of humor here, along with the sheer wtf-ness of the sounds themselves. Bouncing and spinning feature widely, and just when you think you've figured out what's happening the whole landscape shifts underneath you. At times I was reminded of Harry Partch's music, albeit with quite a bit more swing. Insistent and loony in equal measure.







Comments and Feedback:



More Recent Reviews, Articles, and Interviews @ The Squid's Ear...


The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Remergency (
Hirsh/
Hollenberg/
Sewelson):
Wave Benders
[5x5 ALBUM FACSIMILE
WITH DOWNLOAD]
(Squid Note Records)



Barry Chabala/
Clara Byom:
Bella's Ghost
[5x5 ALBUM FACSIMILE
WITH DOWNLOAD]
(Squid Note Records)



Daniel Levin:
At Dropa House
[5x5 ALBUM FACSIMILE
WITH DOWNLOAD]
(Squid Note Records)



Ivo Perelman/
Damon Smith:
Duologue: Core of Existence
[5x5 ALBUM FACSIMILE
WITH DOWNLOAD]
(Squid Note Records)



George (
Webber/
Rossy/
Magic/
Hollenbeck):
Looking For Consonance
(Out Of Your Head Records)



George (
Webber/
Rossy/
Magic/
Hollenbeck):
Looking For Consonance
[VINYL]
(Out Of Your Head Records)



Miles Davis' 2nd Quintet:
Reference:
Live 1967 in Europe
[3 CDs]
(ALAY)



Carlos Zingaro/
Ernesto Rodrigues/
Guilherme Rodrigues:
'Pataphysique
(Creative Sources)



Punkt.Vrt.Plastik (
Drasler/
Eldh/
Lillinger):
Kompress
(Intakt)



Co Streiff/
Russ Johnson Quartet (
w/ Christian Weber/
Gerry Hemingway):
Oracle
(Intakt)



Joe Hertenstein/
Anthony Coleman/
Jon Irabagon:
Future Drone
(ezz-thetics now)



James Lewis Brandon/
Red Lily Quintet:
Calling Antonin
(Tao Forms)



James Lewis Brandon/
Red Lily Quintet:
Calling Antonin
[VINYL]
(Tao Forms)



AMM (
Prevost/
Tilbury/
Rowe):
Goodspeed Hall,
University of Chicago,
April 20, 1996
[VINYL]
(Matchlessless Records)



Don Cherry (
w/ Walcott/
Thomas):
Sunrise (
1977)
[VINYL 2 LPs]
(WeWantSounds)



Satoko Fujii's
Orchestra Tokyo:
Kappa Ondo
[2 CDs]
(Libra)



Sunny Murray/
Arthur Doyle/
Rasul Siddik:
New Light
[VINYL]
(NoBusiness)



Sunny Murray/
Arthur Doyle/
Rasul Siddik:
Incantations
(NoBusiness)



Sunny Murray/
Arthur Doyle/
Rasul Siddik:
Incantations
[VINYL]
(NoBusiness)



Brandon Seabrook (
w/ Frisell/
Carter/
Gilmore):
Utility Modern
(Out Of Your Head
Records)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (5347)