Old News #6 is the second release in a “nearly regular” series
of vinyl albums documenting analog synth and tape works “from the
depths of Jim O’Rourke’s archive.” But where Old News #5 was retrospective in orientation, covering some 20 years of output across its four tracks, #6
zooms right in on the present. The album comprises a single piece
entitled “All That’s Cold Is New Again.” It was commissioned in part by Christian Zanési,
a French composer and former student of Pierre Schaeffer, and recorded
in studio by O’Rourke between 2009 and 2011 in Tokyo, where he’s now, of
course, a resident.
Idiomatically and in terms of sonic palette, the record’s in a pretty
similar ballpark to “It’s Not His Room Anymore” off the last release,
which was recorded in Japan in the same period with, seemingly, a
comparable studio setup. But the most obvious point of difference with
“All That’s Cold Is New Again” is that, unlike any of the recordings on Old News #5,
it incorporates ‘found sound’ in and among all the electronics: the
slow wash of water, tolling bells, the gentle rumbling of traffic,
children playing, the briefest snippets of conversation, as if caught
accidentally from a passer-by.
In general, this works really well...
And if you wanna know, read the rest of the review on TMT. Includes rampant speculation about sci-fi music and the sound of outerspace!
And do check out my review of Old News #5 too if you're interested.
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