STEAMROOM 31 (2017)

THREE LONG PIECES FROM THE EXPERIMENTAL FILMIC WORKS OF MAKINO TAKASHI (GENERATOR (2011), STILL IN COSMOS (2009), AND THE SEASONS (2008)). CINEMATICALLY THESE ARE WORKS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN BRAKHAGE, JONAS MEKAS, AND BILL VIOLA - MEDITATIVE, ABSTRACT, DIFFICULT TO APPLY SINGLE READINGS TO.

AND YET SOMETHING ABOUT TAKASHI'S IMAGE MAKING CLOSES DOWN MANY AVENUES OF MUSIC THAT CAN POSSIBLY EXIST ALONGSIDE IT. O'ROURKE'S PIECE FOR GENERATOR IS AN EFFECTIVE DRONE PIECE PAIRED WITH THE IMAGE. ALONE - IT IS FINE.

O'ROURKE IS ACCOMPANIED BY CHRIS CORSANO AND DARIN GRAY (THE SAME LINE UP AS OSOREZAN). NO ONE PLAYS TOO DEMONSTRABLY - THIS IS MUSIC DESIGNED TO CONJURE UP GREAT MYSTERIES BY WAY OF INDUSTRIAL PULSING AND THRUMMING.

 

I'D BEGUN TO THINK THAT O'ROURKE'S LIKELIEST VOCATION AFTER POP WOULD BE TO MAKE CINEMATIC SOUND, AS HE HAS THE MASTERY OF BOTH THE ATMOSPHERIC AND THE COUNTERPOINT ASPECTS. 'THE SEASONS' IS A LONG PIECE, SLIGHTLY MORE AGGRESSIVE IN PARTS, THAT CYCLES THROUGH A NUMBER OF MOODS. AGAIN THIS ALL WORKS PERFECTLY WELL WITH THE IMAGES IN THE FILM, BUT NOT SO MUCH OUTSIDE OF IT. WHICH IS FINE. SOUND FOR FILM IS COMPLIMENTARY.

HARD OFF (2017)

DELIVERY HEALTH IS THE NAME OF AN EARLIER COLLABORATION BETWEEN JIM, ITALIAN KEYBOARD WIZ GIOVANNI DI DOMENICO, AND JAPANESE PERCUSSIONIST TATSUHISA YAMAMOTO: HERE THEY DECIDE THAT IS THE NAME OF THEIR BAND DEVOTED TO ATMOSPHERIC GURGLES AND OPENING UP SPACES BETWEEN NOTES TO LET SHIT REALLY BREEEEEAAATHHHHHE.

I QUITE LIKED ARCO, THE 2015 COLLABORATION BETWEEN DI DOMENICO AND O'ROURKE: IT ORBITED THE PLANET OF GRASPABLE MELODY WITHOUT QUITE LANDING. THEY SEEM LIKE A GOOD FIT AS THIS KIND OF DOES THE SAME THING AND OCCASIONALLY LETS DOWN THE LANDING GEAR BEFORE THINKING 'OOH NO, ACTUALLY'. THAT MIGHT SOUND FRUSTRATING BUT THE ATMOSPHERES AND GENTLE TICKLING OF KEYS AND STRATEGIC PERCUSSION IS SOOTHING AND WELL BALANCED.

STANDARD FORM ON A LOT OF JIM'S RECORDS, I AM FINDING, IS 40 MINS OF MUSIC SPLIT INTO ONE OR TWO TRACKS. THAT'S PERFECT FOR THIS KIND OF EXPLORATORY DRIFTING. SIDE A IS A LITTLE BETTER THAN SIDE B, WHICH IS A LITTLE MORE UNSETTLED AND ANTIC AND PICKS UP TO MAKE FOR QUITE AN EXPLOSIVE CRESCENDO. BUT ON THE WHOLE I THINK THIS IS A GREAT LITTLE SET FOR THOSE WHO LIKE "AMBIENT" AS ACTUAL HUMAN INTERPLAY BETWEEN PERFORMERS.

CERTIFIED: GOOD.

STEAMROOM 37 (2017)

THE OFFICIAL BANDCAMP PAGE KEEP CALLING JIM'S STEAMROOM SERIES 'A MUSICAL JOURNAL' BUT SURELY ALL MUSIC IS THAT. ANYWAY, HERE'S ANOTHER FROM HIS ONLINE SERIES. 1 TRACK OF ABOUT 35 MINUTES.

IT'S A SOLID RIDE OF GENTLY UNDULATING DRONES THAT SLOWLY MORPH IN TIME. THE INTERVALS USED BECOME MORE SUSPENSEFUL AS THE PIECE DEVELOPS BUT NEVER BECOMES TRULY UNHOLY OR BRANCAESQUE. THE LOW-MID END HAS A GOOD PRESENCE, WHICH SOMETIMES DRONE/'AMBIENT' MUSICIANS FORGET TO INCLUDE ENOUGH OF. 

NOT ESSENTIAL BUT CERTAINLY NOT A WASTE OF O'ROURKE'S OR YOUR TIME.