In the last four minutes of the title track a steady rhythm emerges from the cosmic expanded atmospheres that have marked the first twelve just to end in a prolonged harmonium chord. It had all began with keyboards and synths and electronic and flutes and clarinets and sparse bass notes “low key revolutions in gravity” to quote the linear notes. What you get is a sensation of particles gathering together just to scatter and then it all starts again until something forms and it is time out of space.
This second convergence of Natural Information Society and Bitching Bajas seamlessly connect to their first cooperation Autoimaginary (2015 Drag City Records). The feeling remains the same: a mix of minimalism, traditional music and electro-jazz – again the focus is on the deep side of the acoustic spectrum, sounds more often stay on the bass register and even when they go high a sense of gravity remains. And rhythm; steady, circular, basic, like a pulse that emerging from the last minutes of Totality spreads rhizomatous all trough the music.
‘Nothing Does Not Show’ develops on the sonic landscape created by guimbri, harmonium and percussion. Winds and synths and electronics create circular lines and brief suspended melodies; Quoting the words used to describe their former work: “Sky music by deep earth people…”
‘Always 9 seconds away’ starts like rocking slow pace footsteps marked by a repetitive flute tune and distant background electronic swirls and it goes on and on until the melody develops on the ground of more sustained keyboard notes, flute and bass clarinet chase each other over the organ and harmonium and then it all stops into silence.
The closing track – ‘Clock no Clock’ – is presented on the bandcamp site with a video that enhances the psychedelic quality of the music. Here the two groups are more distinguishable in their interaction with NIS presenting one of their typical trance rhythmic run and Bitching Bajas developing electro-psych layers until it all merges in rotating particles of sound. In the end we are gliding to earth again driven by the guimbri and the harmonium.
Totality in all of its tracks is a layered piece of work, the listener can trace many influences from the Terry Riley of A Rainbow in a Curved Air to the cosmic German music of the 70s and you can add Sun Ra and Gnawa music and something else (add your options here…) but what it remains is the fascinating quality of this music; maybe it falls outside of many of the music reviewed in this site but certainly stays in the field of the music you would like to listen to.
Musicians:
Double Bass, Guimbri – Joshua Abrams
Harmonium – Lisa Alvarado
Drums, Percussion – Mikel Patrick Avery
Organ, Synth – Cooper Crain
Flute, Synth – Rob Frye
Bass Clarinet – Jason Stein
Electronics – Daniel Quinlivan
Digital download, vinyl or cassette here: