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.


  Sandy Ewen / Damon Smith / Weasel Walter 
  Untitled
  (ugEXPLODE) 


  
   review by Massimo Ricci
  2021-05-20
Sandy Ewen / Damon Smith / Weasel Walter: Untitled (ugEXPLODE)

If there's one thing you can expect from Weasel Walter's ugEXPLODE label it's no-frills, in-your-face music characterized by an extremely volatile dynamic level. This nameless disc, containing four improvised tracks by the label honcho on drums and percussion, Sandy Ewen on electric guitar and Damon Smith on bass, is no exception.

I certainly don't have to rant obsessively about the individual approaches of these three. A quick YouTube search allows you to observe all that must be known, especially Ewen's exploitation of abrasive objects and metal bars to rub on pickups and strings amidst additional preparations. The timbres obtained in this way exalt the most hostile and dirtiest harmonics, at the same time warranting a fretboard action totally free of "linear design" typologies (ironically enough, Ewen is an architect).

The timbral partnership offers assorted instances of "wealthy noise" fulfilment, together with snippets of more rarefied finesse. Smith is capable of highlighting the molecular bonds within the resonance of his bass, manhandled into sonorities that can be rich in roaring frequencies or harsh as an overdose of vinegar. Walter — as per his usual — is able to transition from the boisterous hyperactivity of a counter-intuitive technique to out-and-out silence in the space of a few instants, maintaining an impeccable control on the inter-relational aspects of the trio while deciding — consciously or less — which spot is better to hit of the percussive arsenal to indicate another direction to follow.

The confidence between the performers is clearly discernible; their ability to capitalize on each other's intuitions is equally evident. Poor reviewers looking for ridiculously empty words to define what is simply best to listen to are left with inviting readers to do exactly that. Grab the headphones, set aside seventy minutes, and forget the existence of your wife and kids. Ewen, Smith and Walter won't drag you down a hole with Pictures At An Exhibition. If anything, the guerrilla-like interplay invites us to shut up for a little while longer, in order to regroup after the record's over.







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:


Derek Bailey/
John Stevens:
The Duke of
Wellington
(Confront)



Paul Dunmall:
Away With
Troubles And Anxieties!
(Discus)



Shifa (
Musson/
Thomas/
Sanders):
Ecliptic
(Discus)



Natsuki Tamura/
Satoko Fujii:
Ki
(Libra)



Borah Bergman/
Anthony Braxton/
Peter Brotzmann:
Eight By Three
(Mixtery)



Hedvig Mollestad Trio:
Bees In
The Bonnet
(Rune Grammofon)



Acid Mothers Temple &
The Melting Paraiso
UFO:
Black Mountain
ide
(Rolling Heads)



Evan Parker/
Bill Nace:
Branches (
Live at Cafe OTO)[VINYL]
(Open Mouth)



Alexander Hawkins/
Taylor Ho Bynum:
A Near Permanent State
Of Wonder
(RogueArt)



Joseph Holbrooke (
w/ Derek Bailey/
Gavin Bryars/
Tony Oxley):
Last Live 2001 -
In Memoriam
Derek Bailey
And
Tony Oxley
[2 CDs]
(Tzadik)



Zeena Parkins:
Modesty Of
The Magic Thing
(Tzadik)



Dave Douglas (
Douglas/
Ridout/
Adewumi/
Brennan/
Pass/
Royston):
Alloy
(Greenleaf Music)



Ivo Pereleman/
Nate Wooley/
Matt Moran/
Mark Helias/
Tom Rainey:
A Modicum
Of the Blues
(Fundacja Sluchaj!)



Angles 11:
Tell Them
It's The Sound Of Freedom
(Fundacja Sluchaj!)



Sifter (
w/ Lisa Mezzacappa):
Flake/
Fracture
(Queen Bee Records)



Jean-Marc Foussat:
Abbatage
(Fou Records)



Chester Hawkins:
Apsis
(Intangible Arts)



Karl Evangelista's Apura +
Andrew Cyrille:
Bukas
(577 Records)



Frode Gjerstad/
Alexander von Schlippenbach/
Dag Magnus Narvesen:
Seven Tracks
(Relative Pitch)



Kaze (
Fujii/
Tamura/
Orins/
Pruvost) with/ Koichi Makigami:
Shishiodoshi
(Circum-Libra)







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. (11860)