David Tollefson
Near and Far
I really thought Tollefson's New Eyes on the Universe was sensational, so the question was, would his next release measure up? On first listen to 'Near and Far', I think it's fair to say the answer is a resounding yes. This time, Tollefson allows himself to stretch the boundaries a bit further. Yes, the great guitar sounds are still there, ranging from minimal dark ambient to fuzzed out experimental noise.

Starting in excellent form with the 11 minute 'Field of Blackbirds' we are treated to long, softly swirling guitar drones. The sounds slowly change and grow, wrapping the listener in ambience that straddles the territory between darker realms and relaxing calm. This piece has distinct musical subtexts, each running for a few minutes, seamlessly blended together. As this softly fades away, 'Displacement' comes right at you with its much bolder, louder guitars. The tone is still ambient, but forceful, almost angry. The distortion repeats itself in a looping pattern, surprisingly trance-like considering the raw sound. 'Twin Earth' is more reflective, a relatively simple but effective repeating guitar phrase, surrounded by deep echoing pulses of sound. 'Lore' returns to richer, more complex textures, again with a rawer sound, though not as much as 'Displacement'. The sounds blend together quite effectively here.

As usual, Tollefson coaxes an amazing variety of sounds out of his guitar, such that it is hard to believe that this is the source of all the music. 'Maja', for example, has a strange, sort of spastic rhythm tripping quietly in the background at irregular intervals. My favourite track is 'Dead Feather', a dark, dramatic piece.

Things close out with 'Sea Star' which is listed at 9:05, but includes a brief, somewhat unusual bonus track at the end for another couple of minutes. 'Sea Star' features a great transition from some fairly ordinary guitar work into an almost Pink Floydish whirlpool of spooky textures, reminding me of their famous track 'Echoes' though it goes off in some different directions as it builds to its conclusion, coming full circle to end with a surprisingly pretty guitar at the finish. Another great Tollefson exploration into the world of experimental guitar. (PD)

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