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back in stock as of
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first in stock on
february 6th, 2012
threads:
modern-psych
minimalism-drones
analogue-synth
machine-music
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| | | students of decay (usa) #sod 93 lp bryter layter “two lenses” long playing record - your verdant skin
- first light
- understanding interdependence
- the shadow of your smile
- aspect
- second light
- closing
| december 2011 release ; ... long-awaited debut album (after a micro-run tape back in 2009) by the duo of joe raglani & arbor’s mike pollard, working under the spectre of nick drake ...
... placid, cycling, filtered chord shapes & syncopated sequences are the order-of-the-day here, with both working in a strikingly melodic mould vastly more “approachable” than anything either have laid to tape as of yet ; it’s nice to hear these guys actively embracing harmony and/or “traditional” song form(s) in such a clear way, as both clearly have the inventiveness & compositional chops to make it work ... a very nice record. |
| | students of decay press release... |
| sod93 bryter layter: “two lenses” lp
comprised of joseph raglani (kranky) and mike pollard (arbor), bryter layter is a collaborative unit that focuses on the lyrical faculties of analog synthesis. for the most part, these recordings find the pair eschewing the at-times unfocused, long-form drone techniques that have become fixtures in the scene in favor of short, melodic compositions that are strikingly rich in detail. listeners familiar with the oeuvres of raglani and pollard will find much to love here. as the pillow-soft, analog tone-clouds that characterize the latter’s work as pale blue sky find themselves wed to the highly structured, dynamic arrangements that one associates with the former’s solo output.”two lenses” is rich and cinematic, rife with evocative motifs which ebb and flow from one piece to the next creating, over the course of the album, a masterfully composed, unified whole.
“your verdant skin,” the opening salvo, brings to mind popul vuh’s work for werner herzog at its most grandiose, as waves of rising, symphonic tones surge and dissolve, carrying us along with them. “first light,” with its startlingly catchy syncopated rhythms, illustrates perfectly those qualities which set bryter layter apart from their synthesist contemporaries, with raglani and pollard channeling wistful, sun-washed pop sensibilities into the cold facades of their machines.
recorded live and meticulously arranged by raglani at his home studio, and mastered by greg davis to supreme effect, “two lenses” builds upon and extends the qualities established on the pair’s 2009 cassette release “imprinted season” in every way. their work here runs the gamut from maudlin and picturesque to profoundly hopeful always with an eye towards the beautiful. |
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