The Three Things You Can Hear

Seamus Cater

The Three Things You Can Hear

NETHERLANDS  Nearly Not There Records / Annihaya Records NNTR01  LP/CD  (2016)

On this, his first solo album, Seamus Cater aims to combine “new song-writing and contemporary acoustic music drawing on revivalist folk music and 60s minimalism as source material”.  What sets him apart from practitioners working in similar ways like Richard Dawson or Richard Youngs or Alasdair Roberts?  There’s the minimalism of course, and the production is high quality but very spare.

As well as Fender Rhodes, the familiar junk-shop-find 1941-vintage duet concertina accompaniment abides for those who enjoyed Cater’s last studio outing; The Anecdotes with Viljam Nybacka.  Although positioned as a solo record, Cater is not always alone on The Three Things You Can Hear; there are also rather understated contributions from Kai Fagaschinski and Michael Thieke of The International Nothing, Koen Nutters and Morten J. Olsen of The Pitch and Konzert Minimal and Johnny Chang, also of Konzert Minimal.  Han Jacobs contributes saw.  Incidentally, this album was mastered by Jeff Carey; the man who contributed “reverb” to a piece on The Anecdotes.  There’s a crossover here for those interested in quiet music: Berlin-based Johnny Chang is part of the Wandelweiser collective, in fact alongside Koen Nutters, he co-curates the Wandelweiser group-based concert series Konzert Minimal.

Despite working with what could be termed “traditional instrumentation”, Cater is not afraid to deviate from traditional songform.  His unhurried approach to his material tends to focus the listener’s attention.  His is more than simply a considered approach; he has a deep and sympathetic relationship with his material and the history and tradition within.  His family’s musical background can be seen as a way of determining Cater’s interests for sure.  His own experiences as a young man deep within the anti-authoritarian, transient, atmospheric, acid house culture of the late 1980s may possibly be important; possibly not.  Interestingly, he seems to have been a recognisable figure at the time in the acid house scene – Cater has recently survived being name-checked by The Prodigy's Keith Flint.

I have the lp version here which is housed in a great die-cut sleeve – nice, rounded corners; very unusual –a three colour silkscreened etelage card sleeve adorned with an image of a human head, deep in thought?  There is also a full-colour printed card bookmark inscribed by hand with a download code, plus a gigantic A1 fold-out silkscreened/digital print lyric sheet.  The vinyl is an edition of 300, although Annihaya Records have also released the cd version in an edition of 500.

www.seamuscater.bandcamp.com

entropy is what the state makes of it

Steerage

Entropy Is What The State Makes Of It

CANADA  Caduc  CA11  CD  (2015)

Entropy can be defined as a “lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder”.  What does any State make of it?  Barry Chabala and A F Jones; aka Steerage set an interesting question for the times we live in.  This carefully chosen title may refer to the impending changes fast approaching North America, but could equally be a warning for our own near-future here in the UK?  Entropy… is a work about decay – figuratively and literally.  Caduc proprietor Mathieu Ruhlmann’s ghost ship design on the front cover and overlaid abstract mapping on the rear raise a signpost which points in all and no direction.

Like the inconvenient iceberg that did for the Titanic, electronics crash into acoustic guitar violently.  A strong hand on the tiller is essential.  The first piece, “The Predominance of Fading Decorum” features interesting split tones, wavering.  Barry Chabala’s approach to his guitar is reminiscent of Robert Fripp’s late 70’s /early 80s “frippertronics” experiments briefly.  With Jones’ input, the piece takes on the giddying scale of a tanker or modern cruiseship.

Next, “Entropy” combines drones and abstraction with glacial development and purposeful augmentation – music as if in opposition, but to what?  The soundfield becomes a siren at 8 minutes and later on colossal motors power down.  At 9:20 a tape delay caught my ear.  At least it sounded like tape delay to me.  I love the sound characteristics of analogue tape delay.  One of the players managed to hold a good long section of controlled delay feedback there.  Tricky.  I noticed a small bit more at 15:35.

“Upon Maelstroms of Unbearable Reality” predict the future for north America with its agitated, paranoid chirruping, while final track “A Faculty of Encounter” presents gutteral noises courtesy of Jones perhaps?  It’s hard to imagine even the most experimental guitar set-up sounding like that.  “Upon Maelstroms…” has a cicada-like crust with a dry joint pulse underneath.  Overdriven synth growl.  Guitar is heard in a room with passing traffic and workmen in the background.  The piece ends with some beautifully restrained minimal guitar phrasing.

Another sumptuous package like I’ve come to expect from Caduc – a bookmark, track listing insert, folded sleeve; all full colour printed on art card/paper stuffed into a heavy transparent poly sleeve.  Photography by Jennifer Atchley and design by Ruhlmann and “ship concept” by Sean Jewell.

www.caduc.org