What's a Listening Log? Well, the idea is quite simple. It's a weekly segment that consolidates all the mini-reviews Dozens Of Donuts has given on RateYourMusic over the past week, split between the Past and Present. A straightforward grading scale has been put in place, ranging from A+ to F-, with C acting as the baseline average. There is no set amount of reviews per week, just however many I get around to reviewing. And don't expect week-of reviews. I wait one month - with at least three listens under my belt - before I rate and review an album. Enjoy!
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2007 | Experimental Rock | Listen
WEATHERING THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE
We move backwards to look forwards. Like descending down a glacial ravine, into the void of darkness, in order to reach daylight. A small, four-track EP attached to a despondent pictorial book by Phil Elverum, Mount Eerie, Parts 6 & 7 carries with it a weight much greater. After entering the Mount Eerie era dominated by harsh and unchartered terrain (Wind's Poem and Clear Moon), these early endeavors lost amidst Elverum's Singer/Songwriter nihility stand as ominous a peak as ever for the artist obsessed with Mother Earth. There's been hints elsewhere, in both the discographies of Mount Eerie and The Microphones, of an impending apocalypse, but none probe that radiating destruction as ostensibly as Parts 6 & 7. There is no built-up or tear-down, just 24 minutes caught in an acid rainstorm with no soul in sight.
In fact, there's no moment that eschews this atmosphere, excluding the first half of 'Unknown World' with its modest lucidity. Musically, it's my favorite track, with its layered percussion and revealing, upbeat tendencies, though the portentous downturn at track's end - with an encroaching downpour banging loudly against a shackled roof - moving Parts 6 & 7's only human affair into solitary confinement. It's a reminder of loneliness, of discomfort, of regret. The rest of the EP follows suit, as 'Known World's' vigorous shelling of Noise with organs bears resemblance to Neoclassical Darkwave, of all things. 'Blue Light On The Floor' can be seen as the breaking moment, where clouds disperse, and sunlight - shimmering through plumes of virulent mist - puts the mind at ease, before 'Mount Eerie Revealed' consumes the wasteland with the haunting choir of straggling angels. Parts 6 & 7 is a truly evocative EP, an experience that bounds with hopeless despair of saving the outside world, destruction shellacking the one shelter of solace left to bear.
B
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2001 | Downtempo | Listen
INDISTINCT FACES GRINNING THROUGH THE LENS
In terms of Electronic discovery in my early days of music consumption, Ulrich Schnauss was right there alongside Chemical Brothers, Röyksopp, and Moby. Yet, as I delved in to the others' respective discographies, his lay bare. 'Nobody's Home,' '... Passing By,' and 'A Letter From Home' sat dormant for years, representing the bygone era of Pandora, single-track exposure. Based on the sentimental cover and evocative title, Far Away Trains Passing By never fell out of sight. So why not make it official now and allow for a rush of nostalgia to influence opinion. Ultimately though, while Schnauss' clear-cut brand of Downtempo cascades in the beauty of natural wonders, the repetition and lack of diversity prevent greatness from spewing like geysers onto a crystalized surface.
Perhaps from nostalgia, a long-tethered connection dating back a decade and a half, '... Passing By' remains my favorite. It's the most cerebral mix of hypnotic node-clacking and memory expanding found on Far Away Trains, evolving like the passage of time through a litany of secondary synthesizers. The powerful climax, with clangorous trash-can drums and soothing puddle plods, has never grown tiresome after all these years. It compartmentalizes decades worth of photographed nostalgia, bleary from age and an over-exposed vacation sun. On the flip side, 'Nobody's Home' has downgraded over the years, solely due to its sampling of Honey Drippers' 'Impeach The President.' When I first heard 'Nobody's Home' in, say, 2005, the drums were novel and funky. Now, after hearing dozens more sample the renown drum kick, it's grown onerous and downright irritating. Shame what scrutiny can do to you.
The rest of Far Away Trains follows Schnauss' predictable patterns, though there are enough minor diversions to maintain interest throughout. Both 'Knuddelmaus' and 'Between Us & Them' are rich in bittersweet feelings, bouncing between passed down stories about summer road trips on the autobahn. The latter, but especially closer 'Molfsee,' come eerily close to imitating Boards Of Canada, a feat that has proven almost impossible to achieve. Though its execution isn't the grandest, with the cold environment of the closer standing starkly against Far Away Trains' general warmth, 'Molfsee' models BoC's transcendent style devotedly with droning synthesizers, metronome percussion, and intruding radio samples. Though at the end of the day, it is still mimicry. The only one of its kind on Far Away Trains I might add, for overall it's an album that exudes an idiosyncratic behavior wholly original to Schnauss.
B-
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2012 | Progressive Electronic | Listen
BARREN SKYSCRAPERS OBSCURED BY A MIRAGE OF DUST
Unlike most atmospheric artists who allow the listener space to conjure sentiments of their own, Sand Circles does it for you. With zero restraint, Motor City dives into Blade Runner territory, with dusted drums, analog interference, and an aura that decries the desolation of automation. What better setting than Detroit then, with its decrepit edifices, grim prospects, and reliance on outdated modes of transport. Think of Motor City as Blade Runner without a story, descending upon a land primarily occupied by dust, without any hope for resurrection. It's rich in texture, intrigue, and cyberpunk futurism. Though Sand Circles offsets such lucidity with a tape-only release, giving Motor City that perpetual fuzz of acidic ruin. As is typical for Progressive Electronic records that lean heavily into atmosphere, Sand Circles' sole LP fascinates more than it entertains. Substance is there, but sometimes in the wrong places.
After the intro 'Entering Motor City,' one of Sand Circles' clear influences is unearthed: Boards Of Canada. The forward thrust of 'White Sand,' over hazy, radio tower synthesizers screams of the despondent interludes found scattered across BoC's discography, be it Music Has The Right To Children, Campfire Headphase, or even In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country. It's also the best, most well-composed sight here, as a confluence of sound forms a rich tapestry of forsaken grandeur, viewed from the safe interior of a passing helicopter. While the BoC influence remains apparent throughout, Berlin School and classic Detroit Techno weave their way into the mirage, like flashes from a more illustrious past. 'Motor City,' 'Endless Nights,' and 'Summer Echoes' showcase this the best, with their rigid pacing interrupted only by the stark reality of Ambient's unforgiving verisimilitude. 'Innercity Haze' incorporates these two halves the best, as waves of royal purple strings cascade, ever-demandingly, over a funky assortment of House and Minimal Synth. It's quite gorgeous, and quite mournful. A paradox that allows Motor City to exist.
C
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