THE SAGA OF ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES AND ITS OWNER BARRY HOGAN IS QUITE THE INDIE ROCK TALE OF HUBRIS BUT LET'S FACE IT: IT GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE PAID AND SOME HUGE EXPOSURE FOR MUSICIANS THAT COULD HAVE EASILY JUST RUN AROUND IN MASTURBATORY CIRCLES IN WHATEVER CITY THEY'RE FROM (PROBABLY NEW YORK BUT LET'S NOT BE TOO REDUCTIVE).
ONE SUCH EXAMPLE IS NEW YORK (*COUGH*) DUO WHITE OUT, WHOSE APPROACH TO 'INCENDIARY NEW MUSIC' SURELY REQUIRED THE PATRONAGE OF HOGAN AND HIS SLIGHTLY DUPLICITOUS ACCOUNTANCY TECHNIQUE.
GOING IN I WAS A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS: OFF THE RUN OF SEVERAL BAD-TO-ABYSMAL THURSTON MOORE-RELATED RELEASES, ANY TRACEABLE PATH TO MR. MOORE IS A RED FLAG. WHITE OUT'S EARLY RELEASES COME ON MOORE'S ECSTATIC PEACE LABEL AND WILLIAM WINANT FEATURES ON A SONIC YOUTH IMPROV RECORD, SO WE'RE WADING IN MUCKY WATERS TO START WITH.
MUSICALLY THE LANDSCAPE FALLS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN AVANT JAZZ AND THE OCCASIONALLY AUSTERE SONIC TEXTURES THAT MIGHT HAVE COME OUT OF A GERMAN HOCHSCHULE FUR MUSIK IN THE 1960S. THERE ARE PORTIONS OF NEGATIVE SPACE, WHERE PREGNANT MOMENTS BETWEEN PROVOCATIVE SOUNDS SEEM TO AMPLIFY IN YOUR BRAIN. IT CERTAINLY ISN'T ILL-CONSIDERED OR ROTE FREE EXPLORATION. ONE MIGHT EVEN SUGGEST SOME LEVEL OF DESIGN CONSCIOUSNESS.
HOWEVER I MUST LISTEN WITH REASONABLE AMOUNTS OF PREJUDICE AND REPORT WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR AND THIS IS JUST NOT DOING ANYTHING FOR ME. IT'S COOL THAT WINANT AND WHITE OUT'S DRUMMER HAVE SOME SLIGHTLY LOBOTOMISED TAPPING AND CLANKING, AND THE TEXTURES AND TONES WRESTLED OUT OF O'ROURKE AND WHITE OUT'S MUSICIAN ARE IDIOSYNCRATIC. BUT IT'S JUST A DIFFICULT LISTEN - A SERIOUS UNDERTAKING, AND NOT A DUD - AND ONE I WILL STRUGGLE TO RISE TO AGAIN NOW I KNOW WHAT LIES AHEAD.
