CD Feature/ Heath Yonaites: "Rim of the Sun"

Nothing really happens, but there’s evil premonitions everywhere.

Some people consider making up one’s mind the most important duty of an artist. Especially in today’s music, when you’re just a mouseclick away from an entire symphony orchestra, a Polka trio or a Garage Rock band and possibilities are limited only be the size of your hard disc, this thesis seems to have gained some ground: People seem to be able to deal with many things, but not arbitrariness.

At first sight, “Rim of the Sun” could well be one of those freaked-out, puzzle-pieced musical mozaics without borders and direction. The booklet mentions empty bottles and wine glasses as instruments, reveals the use of “various frequencies in which are found signal pulses, voices, etc.” and promises listeners the sound of “burning logs, evening rain on metal bowls and water in (a) hot frying pan”. Still, this is no random effort and not a loose collection of field recordings either. Instead, all elements go hand in hand to form a highly differentiated, vivid and extremely organic aural picture. Its grounding consists of finely woven drones and agravic layers of shortwave radio static, burried narratives and tiny noise particles. Occasionaly, deep strings will try to work their way through the fog and swooshing patterns will slowly but surely in- and decrease volume. But most of the time, this music rests and sleeps inside its own, calm and yet nervous state of pieceful hypertension – nothing really happens, but there’s evil premonitions everywhere.

Even though you will be hard-pressed to put into words, what “Rim of the Sun” is about, there is no doubt that it creates a space, which is governed by its own rules. Nothing arbitrary about that at all and no great mystery either – even though some will find it hard decoding the message, you can enjoy this just as much as your local symphony orchestra, a Polka trio or a Garage Rock band. You just need to open up your mind.

Homepage: Heath Yonaites
Homepage: Triumvirate Records