Saturday, March 16, 2013

Glass House - Savage Times (sicsic046)





it's a sicsic world - my type of living!  peace and love to my friends at CanniCorner :)


The Sicsic spectrum is always shimmering with luminous light of various hues.  At one end of that spectrum, you may find my nug loving brothers, Sylvester Anfang ii.  Their brand of psych glistens like the trichomes on my favorite bud.  Maybe at the other end, one will locate the otherworldly beauty of Asio Otus or Digital Natives.  As I raised the shades one early morning, a glowing beam of energy extended from the middle of the spectrum.  It was a magnificent experience to be enveloped by something so pure.  Savage Times, by Glass House on Sicsic Tapes, is simply a master class of ambient music.  For me, the most prominent features of this release are the composition, the manner in which the tracks develop, the bountiful textures and ideas, and subtle changes within movements.  A beautiful surprise lurks behind each synapse.

Suspended in the air, gauzy washes of sound are layered with loops.  The climate of the first track changes subtly, as heavy tones appear.  This is a harbinger to a section of poignant piano notes and drone that extend as far as the limit of perception.  Fragments of wistful notes grace your shoulders.  The second track,  'Body Horror' is incredible.  It's the type of track that separates Glass House from others.  Poignant, reverberating piano notes form a loop.  In the background, whirling cold sounds blow across the landscape - a beautiful juxtaposition.  Soon, the listener is bathed with a deluge of cascading piano notes.  During this section, one detects nascent and voluminous tones.  At this juncture, the character of the track begins to feel more light.  Disintegrating sounds are present near the end.  The first side finishes with a track that feels discernibly different.  'Coded Sleep' is the sound of a person entering REM cycles, as cascading lively notes abut elongated tones.  The deluge of notes becomes slightly altered, and gradually the track lifts one into the light with a beautiful drone.   Another wonderful track, 'Visual Weather', commences the flipside.  With each listen, i'm impressed by the manner in which the transitions are almost imperceptible.  Ethereal tones with a beautiful texture slowly dissipate in waves of haunting sound that move more proximate with each iteration.  Almost imperceptibly, a lighter soundscape manifests - the waves of evocative sound now situated deep in the background.  Delicate tones grace your head like the initial snowflakes of a storm.  These tones move to the fore, which endow the music with a poignant vibe.  Slowly rising from the collage of sound, a more concentrated stream of energy threatens.  Yet, these delicate tones persevere through various climates - lovely!  As the track vacillates between various hues, the end arrives with a stream of luminous sound.  Glass House finish the flipside with a serene track comprised of distorted, pulsating vibrations and soft waves of serenity.

Without reservation, I recommend purchasing the digital files or locating one of the last remaining copies.  Admirers of the Dead Texan and Lawrence English, among others, will be in heaven with these sounds. Exhibiting the wonderful artwork of Ronnie Oliveras, Savage Times is home-dubbed and produced on chrome cassettes in a limited edition of 70.  If you are in the US, one of the last physical copies is available at 905 Tapes.  I have a feeling that too many people missed out on this incredible tape.  Hopefully, a reissue will appear in the future.      
    
peace and love, friends :)