Windy & Carl & the Lothars - s/t
(Blue Flea)
As anyone who knows me most certainly knows by now, I love Windy & Carl a lot! Due
to the fact that this is so, I hunted down this newest cd offering while I was in
California over Christmas. I am really scared of flying and I hoped that the
otherworldly drones and sonic pillows that Windy & Carl usually provide would help me off to
sleepy land on the flight back to Connecticut.
On this shiny metal musical plate, Windy & Carl team up with a group of theremin
players and a guitarist from Massachusetts that call themselves the Lothars. This
tag-team (featuring Carl Hultgren along with the Lothars) formed up for a special
third stage presentation at Terrastock 3 in London. The result is, of course,
wonderful! Carl Hultgren sets the stage by laying down some fat, fat drones that
sparkle and shimmer. The Lothars improvise with their electronics over the drones to
create eerie mechanic-howls. At points the theremins sound actually human. The interaction
between all of the musicians is very impressive. They bounce ideas and sounds back
and forth very easily and without stepping on each other's feet.
The second and third track on the compact disc features two songs by Windy & Carl as performed
at Terrastock 2 in San Francisco in 1998. "Through the Portal" and "Ballast" are
faithful, sparse renditions of these Windy & Carl classics. The recording quality is
excellent for a live performance, and the performance itself is flawless and
beautiful. One of the reasons that Windy & Carl deserve my unending awe is due to
their ability to both replicate their albums and improvise freely in a live context.
I have been lucky enough to witness both and I can honestly say that they do both
things very very well. This recording features only their ability to replicate the
feel and textures of their albums, but it comes off as an improvisation due to its
sense of spontaneity. This is especially true as they easily segue between songs to
make one huge mega-trip!
The fourth track on this ultra reflective laser catcher features the Lothars in
tandem with Alastair Galbraith. This performance is also taken from Terrastock 2. I
must say that this track interested me least because it wasn't the reason for me
purchasing the music. That said, I really enjoyed the track. It does not take away
from the flow of the album by any measure, and it really shows the collaborative
powers of everyone involved. However, I have to be honest, by the time this track rolls
around, I am pretty far gone.
I heartily recommend this cd to anyone who enjoys some good strong drones.
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