Allegorical Power Series VI
Since June 2003 Antiopic records has been publishing a series of
monthly mp3 compilations intended to provoke a socially conscious dialog
through
“abstract or
experimental art and music” - discussion of which they consider to
be too often limited to matters of aesthetics. Some of the most creative
talents in new music have contributed mp3s (and in one case a quicktime
movie) to what is turning into some of the most consistetly high-caliber
online releases around to date - on par certainly with the likes of
Fallt’s popular invalidObject
series.
November’s chapter is smaller than previous
releases and unfortunately contains some weaker material than has been
presented before. Even so, Volume VI has many high points - such as
duul_drv’s moving combination of drones and a field recording of an
arrest under words, there is something hidden, as well as Julien
Ottavi and Dion Workman’s beautiful Beginning Again, Desist’s
lovely and understated Untitled, and We’re Breaking Up’s well
balanced microsound collage of radio static Receiver 1. The two
remaining contributions from Presocratics and Lovely Midget aren’t
failures by any means - they’re simply overshadowed by the strengths of
the other releases, not to mention the incredible back-catalog (all of
which is still availible for download) of the previous volumes in the
series.
Not every piece of music immediately inspires a
socially informed critique, and certainly none is simply an exercise in
propaganda - but the very act of enclosing these works in the casing of
a suggestion to mindful political consideration gives them another
dimension to be unraveled. It’s usually a fun and sometimes challenging
task that tends to inform the possible aesthetic readings of the works
rather than negating them.
Highly recommended.
http://www.antiopic.com/allegorical/november2003.html