Valerio
Tricoli: Clonic Earth (Pan)

Valerio
Tricoli’s latest 5-track release for the esteemed Pan label starts
faintly. A flutter of lossy chorused sounds gradually increases in
intensity, sounding like a synthesis abstraction of a swarm of birds,
but before long it begins to swell and bristle with activity. A dense
wall of what sounds almost like amplified surface noise threatens to
consume the whole thing… however, those who might feel as though
they’re in for an album of noise are in for a surprise as the music
continually evolves, changing shape and dynamics throughout. As a
result, much of “The Hallowed Receiver” is actually a
disorienting, bending soundscape likely to keep even the most
seasoned experimental music listeners on their toes. And it’s only a
teaser of what Clonic Earth has to offer listeners’ ears. I highly
advise listening on good quality headphones, as Tricoli has embedded
layers upon layers of subtle detail.

Clonic Earth (PAN 71) by Valerio Tricoli

While sometimes his tracks swell
to capacity with unusual sounds, often times he reduces elements to a
bare minimum, with tiny vocal whispers and abrupt samples of recorded
music that feel like intrusions of consciousness in an otherwise
delirious dream state. The title track, for instance, swirls amidst a
chorus of disembodied voices until it fades to a murmur, punctuated
by the repetition of a phrase. “As for the Crack” is
noteworthy in its low-end rattle, a deep sub bass sound that
complements a smattering of recorded objects and textures, literally
sounding as though one has slipped through a crack in the earth and
is coarsely ricocheting down into the core. It’s a fascination with
recorded and manipulated sound that recalls the most feverish output
of The Hafler Trio, Nurse With Wound, or perhaps Ultra-Red’s
high-concept manipulation of field recordings and voices, but Clonic
Earth has a more mystical quality about it which is enhanced greatly by its
array of spoken vocals, whispers, chants, and shouts. Tricoli feels
somehow more advanced as a sound sculptor, with a deft ability to
follow and honor sonic impulses as they come, a sort of bizarre
stream of consciousness of sounds both familiar and totally alien.
It’s best taken in without too many expectations and ample time to
play from start to finish. It’s in this way that listeners are most
likely to willingly travel through the strange journey of ephemera
and impulse that define Tricoli’s Clonic Earth.

Buy it: Pan Shop | Bandcamp