Brent Gutzeit - Drug Money
(Kranky)
It's funny how I often have the most to say about the sparsest records. You would think I could ramble on about records bursting at the seams with sounds and ideas, but no. I was about to begin this review in the tradition of minimalist artist Donald Judd's famous review of an art piece/show consisting of only a few lines. Drug Money is the kind of record that would lend itself to such treatment, so I will still try to show restraint in my summary of this exceedingly spare record.
Drug Money recalls some of the classic heavy hitters of ambient drone and experimental music, with a nod to fellow Chicagoan Kevin Drumm on one of his quieter, more subdued days. It is a record with a foot in the analogue tradition, and old-time sources like piano are used to generate something altogether timeless. Gutzeit has been around the block and has been at it since the mid-90s. Therefore Drug Money shows the signs of a well-studied scholar of this type of music. Although frequently beautiful and haunting, his gestures might be a bit too familiar for connoisseurs. Often the sounds are found right where they should be, and you can't help wanting him to either quiet down to virtual silence or lift his slight squalls of sound.
Nevertheless, Gutzeit deserves marks for making a carefully considered record with an understated opulence. My advice: turn up the volume, lie on a flat, hard surface, and write a review of your own—due mid-August.
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