Beardtongue's Furniture Songs

Superb noise music: A 30 minute single-take, single track recording:

When thinking about the concept of minimalistic music, I tend to get a bit skeptical with projects fitting this genre that are largely rhythmical. However, I was very pleased upon hearing such an intriguing piece as this one. Titled "Furniture Songs", this is a piece performed by an artist as interesting as his instrument in a way I call minimal not in the sense that it contains a limited amount of notes or a certain repetition, but rather because of the limited amount of instruments that are incorporated in this recording. Otherwise, I think it quite justly to describe it as a superb noise music recording with a slight hint of jazz scattered around.

A 30 minute single-take, single track recording made at the Transitions Art Gallery in Tampa, Florida, Beardtongue, with the accompaniment of Aaron Zarzutzki, performs under his actual name, Joshua Manchester. Mr. Manchester had the following to say about "Furniture Songs": "We call it a snare drum duet, but it is full of extended techniques and unrecognizable to the point that it becomes a "snare drum duet". Aaron works a lot with motors, voltage, speaker cones and the like to perform, while I subsist solely on acoustics, friction, vibration, and air pressure to make noises. That makes it remarkable when you listen to the amount of musical communication we manage." And believe me when I say it is quite remarkable. Heavily being an improvisation, this is the type of music that, I will have to agree with the artist, is a wonderful background music. No matter what I've done, from just laying around to furiously multitasking, I can say with a clear conscience that this tape has complimented anything I've done as mundane or exceptional as each one might have been. It just seems to fit perfectly in any situation or place.

You may recall that I said that this was an artist as interesting as his instrument. Well let me say that this no ordinary snare drum we're talking about that Beardtongue is playing, but a Kagel drum, an unsual instrument dedicated to the great Argentinean composer, Mauricio Kagel . I can't help but be stumped by some of the darnedest sounds this fascinating contraption with the skill of Beardtongue is able to conjure up. I'll be just listening to something that is definitely a snare drum sound and then suddenly turn around to find myself asking "What's that?". And you might be saying to yourself that it might well be Aaron Zarzutki's accompaniment, but by listening to this you can easily tell that there is simply too much of an acoustic quality to the odd sounds that I speak of. It really is a mind blower.

Overall, it would utterly shock me if you were to get nothing out of "Furniture Songs". It's too good of a track for such a thing, and personally I'd have to assume you to be in some state of denial to say otherwise. So go and give it a listen, whether you're hanging with a bunch of friends, cleaning about the house, or just bumming around on the couch. After all, it is called "Furniture Songs".

This tape can be found through the following site(s):
http://www.myspace.com/beardtongue
http://www.joshuamanchester.com/
http://www.myspace.com/sharkbitetapes
http://www.sharkbitetapes.com (coming in the near future)

Review kindly submited by EXP/AM Review