Pan American - The River Made No Sound
(Kranky)
Over two albums, and several other releases, Pan American has remained remarkably consistent. With the exception of the occasional guest vocal or instrumentalist, we could expect from Pan American dub grooves accented with electronic textures, hums, and rumbles, that while a definite departure from Nelson's work with his other band, Labradford, still remained quite faithful to their tone. Starting with the last album, 360 Business/360 Bypass, a change in this tone was detectable. With their self-titled album, in spite of the electronics involved, the music still had a very rich, warm tone, and the dub rhythm was very present. With 360 Business/360 Bypass, the dub rhythm had less of a presence, and the electronics were moved slightly more to the front. As a result, the music took on a slightly less warm, more clinical feel. With The River Made No Sound, this turn has continued, and what is left consists almost exclusively of electronic textures and ambience.
This is not to say that the music has become totally cold and clinical—it still has depth and warmth—the source of this warmth, however, lies more subtly underneath the texture and is a low hum, rather than a consistent pulse. The result of this shift is that the music is less immediate, or as it is describe in the press kit, "patiently assertive." Patiently assertive, however, should not be interpreted as dull. The music, while subtle, is still sufficiently varied so that it does, in fact, assert itself into your attention.
It has not been easy for me to decide if this shift has been a positive one, and I do miss at times the immediacy present in his earlier work. Ultimately, however, my patience has been rewarded, and I find myself surprised with each listen to The River Made No Sound at how much more I have grown to like it.
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