Bordreuil, Leila / Michael Foster - The Caustic Ballads
SKU
RPR 1034
“On the surface, the album title might be an oxymoron. None of these free-form works resemble traditional ballads, but the young Brooklyn-based duo's ideology and vision is clearly distinct and personalized via these jaunts that to some extent, parallel the British free jazz scene with acidic, creaky and scorching elaborations. There is a consortium of zany nouveau classical music breakouts with bizarre episodic transgressions that tend to hold your attention. At times, the acoustic instrumental implementations sound like electronics are being used, although no reference to synths or live electronics are noted in the CD jacket.
The duo fiendishly raises the pitch and blastoff into parts unknown while ending up back to where they started from. The musicians also use their instruments as percussive vehicles, adding another intriguing perspective to these bulging and darting mini-themes and spur of the moment shifts in strategy. And on "Wherever the Organism Discharges its Internal Rottenness," Foster's gravelly notes are embedded in a torrential downpour, augmented by Bourdreuil's ferocious arco exercises that morph imagery of bedlam or social chaos. However, the musicians take you to another dimension by diving into moments of solace and tranquility. Yet "SpitPig" is designed with subliminal, low-register noise-shaping parts and extended notes, which is quite passive compared to the other works. In sum, the duo chronicles a high-impact, in-your-face and off-the-charts proposition that agitates the mind's eye for all the right reasons.”-Glenn Astarita / All About Jazz
- LabelRelative Pitch
- UPC616892365341