Tyondai Braxton - History That Has No Effect
(JMZ)
Tyondai Braxton is Anthony Braxton's son. There, it's said, and it's out of the way. The younger Braxton consciously seems to avoid this fact, and his motivations are understandable. Nothing can warp an assessment of someone's work more than specific and strong ties to another person close to that work, whether viewed in a positive or negative light. The history of music is ripe with sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, and other relatives whose careers, whether successful or not, seem to sprout from the careers of their famous kin. And, fairly or not, there always seems to be something to prove, a need for an artist to substantiate their own work in order to fully escape the shadow of their more famous family member. Tyondai needn't worry, however, his work is fairly far removed from his father's, and it's strong enough artistically that there's no mistaking him for a son riding his father's coattails into the spotlight.
As odd as it may sound, if one were to choose Braxton's primary musical instrument, it would have to be his array of effects pedals. On each track of the album, Braxton creates sound through voice or instrument, and manipulates the sound through the use of pedals, the only constant throughout. Such use of guitar effects can be risky. If pedals are used well, the results are virtually endless, but, when used unimaginatively and within the already well-worn parameters of what each specific effect is "meant" to do, the pedals can bring down even some of the most creative constructions. On Histroy That Has No Effect, Braxton delves into both camps. "A Sentence Worth a Thousand Words," for instance, is all voice, but comes out as shimmering drones of sound, while the following track, "Great Mass," utilizes the same instrumentation but masks the vocals less, resulting in music that's more earthbound. Surprisingly, the album's fourth track (with a title of gibberish far too long to type out here) is built around acoustic guitar, accompanied by cello and viola. The next few tracks continue in this more meditative direction, though with decidedly more abstract constructions. Braxton then moves through a sort of science fiction dance track (utilizing some well-distorted vocal beat box techniques) before more fully featuring his unaltered vocal prowess on the aching yearning of "Struck Everywhere" and "Hold Onto Distance," on which Braxton's vocal beats and singing of a few repetitive phrases, along with the track's instrumentation, combine to create a song that could easily get play on MTV2 with the right critical support. The transformation of Braxton's music over the course of History That Has No Effect is a testament to the man's diverse talents, but also the reason that the album can be frustrating. Braxton does it all fairly well, but just when the mood for a particular sound settles in, he's on to something else.
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