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Here Gabriel Lucas Crane spews forth a massive secretion of creepdrone as Non-Horse. Crane is most well-known for his position in the Vanishing Voice but Rigor Lore is something far more sinister. This limited C80 is packed, folks. Look at that tracklisting! Add 'em up and it's 77 different selections all told! At that rate, Crane would have to be crunching into a new song as every minute of the tape rolled by but the truth is there are only 2 songs here; ones I've taken to calling "A" and "B" for their respective sides. According to the good folks over at Not Not Fun, the A-side is an exploration of Crane's experiments at home while the B-side is a selection from a live show. To Crane's credit, I can tell no difference in fidelity nor is there even a moment of faltering of the course of that side's 40 minutes. The A-side starts equal parts archaic drone, Tibetan moan, broken bone. Things evolve slowly with bells and squiggling electronics. Squiggles turn to stabs and disjointed banjo and it becomes clear just how much of Crane's work as Non-Horse is predicated on tape manipulation; as well as his superlative skill at the art (and damn is it art; try it for yourself). Soon all is shimmering delay feedback and suffering horns with hammered, bubbling melody. Crane ends things in the haunted cave the Erlkönig retreated to after he silenced you in your father's arms. I do prefer the B-side, though. Things get coniderably thicker. Cut-up, barely identifiable vocals meld into single-note neargrooves and quickly succumb to the powers of abrasion. Cycling drone meets drums and shakers later; screechings are your friend. The side really really makes me want to watch Crane do this live. How much of it is played on the spot? How much of it is on tapes? How many damn tapes does the dude have? Such an experience would be absolutely hypnotic. Rigor Lore has a sonic variety rare in albums of this ilk; the natural transitions and immediacy of the cryptic breaths Crane exhales are testaments to the man's skill. Hopefully Rigor Lore, being his first real full-length as Non-Horse, is the genesis of a new moniker to spy for.

Non-Horse at Amazon & Insound