Back when the majority of Burning Star Core's releases were coming out on cd-r or cassette on C. Spencer Yeh's own Dronedisco imprint, the appearance of a full-length in the form of an lp or cd was an event to be savored, and A Brighter Summer Day and The Very Heart of the World, BXC's first two lps on the Thin Wrist label were scorchers that didn't disappoint. But as Spencer's star, as it were, as risen, BXC releases have been birthed more and more frequently, with quality that rarely suffers. After all, it's not that Yeh's been busier than usual; Dronedisco's catalog was augmented frequently by the addition of new tapes or cd-rs, but now, more often than not, these releases are being issued via labels other than Spencer's own. Blood Lightning 2007, Yeh's most recent, is his second release on No Fun Productions, following last year's Three Sisters Who Share an Eye, and the latest in a slew of quality releases from the violinist, whose work continues to gain fans and accolades at a deservingly rapid rate.
Many Burning Star Core fans seem initially captivated by Yeh's fiery improv on the violin or his other-worldly vocal freakouts, both of which tend have filled his live solo sets as of late. However, seasoned BXC listeners know well that there's a sensitive side, as it were, to Spencer's work, music that relies on subtler delights. Blood Lightning 2007 proves, as many know, that this more restrained work can be some of Yeh's best. "Deaf Mute Spinning Resonator" is perhaps the album's best track, a study of dampened metallic vibrations augmented by violin scratches, which are indicative of a greater trend over the course of the album, namely that Yeh's signature instrument takes on a secondary role on most of Blood Lightning's tracks. "The Universe is Designed to Break Your Mind," another standout, takes a simple electronic loop, and buries it under a mass of sound without ever obscuring it completely, then abruptly shifts gears into something that might sound meditative, were it not for the grumbled vocals that dance around, and, eventually, outlast it. "10-09-04, Horrible Room, Lexington, KY" is the disc's lone track that features Spencer's usual forte, recorded in the now defunct (and demolished) Horrible Room in Lexington. Featuring what, by now, might qualify as the classic BXC "expanded" line-up, the fourteen-minute improvisation augments Spencer with two-thirds of Hair Police, percussionist Trevor Tremaine and electronics whiz Robert Beatty, both of whom have played with Spencer for years under the Burning Star Core moniker. There's often something magical in the air when these three get together, and this track, despite a muffled fidelity that muddles the mix, is a welcome addition to the disc, even if it skews the aesthetic of the preceding tracks more than a bit.
C. Spencer Yeh is nothing if not diverse, especially in recorded form, and part of what makes his catalog such a good one is that one never knows quite what might arise on the next album that drops. The unexpected, kraut-inspired funkiness of "Mes Soldats Stupides (Demo)," on the RRR/Hospital disc Let's Play Wild Like Wildcats Do, is perhaps the best sign of Spencer's wide-ranging palate, and, as Blood Lightning 2007 indicates, without reinventing himself completely, Yeh is able to mine many musical ores with ease, and those who are familiar only with the live Burning Star Core experience, as impressive as it usually is, are missing an important, and often equally enjoyable, component of his work, exhibited nicely on this most recent release.
