Article
Brady / Driscoll / Gregorius

Albums
3/4 Peace
36
Atrium Carceri
Marvin Ayres
Peter Baumann
Beledo
Tim Brady
Christoph Bruhn
Calder
Csillagköd
Dal Niente / Deerhoof
Rebekah Driscoll
Eighth Blackbird
frostlake
Friedrich Goldmann
John Gregorius
Hammock
Chihei Hatakeyama
Masayuki Imanishi
ICE
Ionophore
braeyden jae
KAI
Kevin Kastning
Martin Kay
Kireyev & Javors
Millimetrik
Jon Mueller
Christine Ott
Piano Interrupted
Noah Preminger
Gavin Prior
Rapoon
Lasse-Marc Riek
Roach & Logan
Bruno Sanfilippo
Cyril Secq / Orla Wren
Sgt. Fuzzy
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
Stick Men+ David Cross
Stratosphere
Syncopix
Tetherdown
Charlie Ulyatt
Wieman

Compilation
Facticity

EPs / Cassettes / Mini-Albums / Singles
Glacis
Dibson T. Hoffweiler
Akira Kosemura
Daniel Lippel
Christine Tavolacci

Tetherdown: First Flight
Slowcraft / Trace Recordings

One's already strong impression of Tetherdown's First Flight goes up a few notches when one becomes aware of the details involved in its production. Tetherdown members Mark Beazley (electric bass), Anne Garner (vocals, flute, keyboards), and James Murray (processed guitars) convened at the Slowcraft Studio in August 2015 with no prior preparation and proceeded to lay down the album's four settings in a single go. What you therefore hear on Tetherdown's debut is exactly what went down on that particular day sans edits or overdubs.

From the recording's first moment, it's apparent that the project is one democratically shared, and in these four meditative soundscapes Murray's shuddering guitar textures and Beazley's bass undercurrent blend seamlessly with Garner's evocative flute playing and keyboards. The material drifts, yes, but it does so with conviction and purpose, and the interactions between the participants exemplify an undeniably strong connection. During the reverential “Pitch Roll and Yaw,” for example, the transition in emphasis from Murray's guitar to Garner's piano happens so fluidly one might imagine it had to have been scripted beforehand.

In addition, “Wingbeats,” though clothed in pastoral garb, exudes a mysterious quality that subtly hints at turbulent goings-on beneath the music's placid surfaces. During the dronescape “Thermals,” willowy flute extemporizations provide a pleasing counterpoint to the metallic smolder of guitar. Each setting is in the ten-minute range, which affords the three space and time to ruminate and explore; yet while they do just that, the material never lapses into aimlessness.

May 2016