former airline + pje reviews

former_airline - sleeping in the dead pool

“masaki kubo’s former_airline project i only know from a collaborative work with zero centrigrade (see vital weekly 734), which wasn’t very successful to my ears. kubo was credited for tape-loops and computer. so this is my first proper introduction to the work of this man. the music seems to me a bit of an odd-ball in the catalogue of ephre imprint, which I know mainly for their music with field recordings and electronics. this is all a bit more noise based, with gritty, somewhat distorted sounds from radio, lo-fi electronics, synthesizers and such like. occasionally loud, such as in ‘airway to your skull’, but interestingly enough also contemplative, such as in ‘the day of forever’ and ‘music from the death lounge’ - which may even been taking the piss out of the glitch ambient movement, with somewhat up-speed tapes. quite a varied disc, this one, with some interesting thoughts about noise music, through eight varied pieces, loud and a bit more quiet.” (fdw)

from vital weekly #804

pje - until there’s nothing left

“two austere guitar drones from a bit of northwest england that juts out into the sea. ”first words” slowly takes on the character of the skirl of the bagpipes, keening but pleasing to the ear. ”woven” seems made up of randomly-triggered notes igniting like coloured fireworks, their jets intertwining over the headland. just eighteen and eight minutes long, respectively, but genuinely stirring.

by stephen fruitman @ sonomu

“pje knows how to make a mournful mood. ‘until there’s nothing left’ is an amorphous ep. it moves at a glacial, barely decipherable pace. to best understand it, one must listen to it in the quietest place possible. little sonic reverberations make themselves known in quieter locales. 

‘first words’ is the first piece on here. it is extremely dense. wait for it to build up. eventually it overtakes anything in the surrounding area, any sounds, any smells, etc. you can close your eyes to this song. the gradual shifts require a bit of concentration. i am tempted to call it drone, but there is more going on harmonically than that word would imply. without increasing in volume it takes up more and more of the sonic spectrum. ‘woven’ the second piece, is the ‘making-nice’ part of the ep. whereas ‘first words’ made up a dense universe, ‘woven’ shimmers and shines. it is clear. you can actually identify the instrument. i like how nicely it complements the darker mood. plus, it tends to have a warmer sound and moves far more quickly than the beginning, though still somewhat contemplative. the delicate nature of the track works in its favor as well, showing how the scrapes could suddenly end. i enjoy the darkness and light mixture on this ep. both pieces have a slow pace to them, with an early morning glow to them. i do not know why these pieces have such an impact on me. pje knows how to make a lot with a little.”
review @ beach sloth
This was posted 2 months ago. Notes.