Leslie Keffer - s/t cassette
(Rampart)
Leslie Keffer is an architect of static, sculpting waves of fuzz and buzz that ebb and flow, buoying floating artifacts of her own voice and sampled sounds. The Athens, OH, resident may not come from one of the hotbeds of the noise underground, but her musical creations have been creating a subtle but insistent word-of-mouth buzz, much like the buzz created by the music on this tape.
While Keffer's music certainly is noisy, the overall feel of the cassette is more relaxing and tranquil than one might expect. Like an ominous storm cloud looming beautifully as a dark harbinger in an otherwise clear sky, Keffer's music is a prime example of beauty in a storm. Tracks like "Desert" aren't without their share of harsh sounds; Keffer surely isn't easy listening, but never does her music feel aggressive or violent. The fried sizzle of "Tex-Mex Interlude" or the ragged tones of "But I Love You" are simple proclamations, minimalist in feel, but as the music envelops the listener and the blanket of Keffer's sound is lowered on the brain, it's amazing how cozy such jagged music can be. "Winken, Blinken, and Nod," quite appropriately, is a celestial journey, though not a trip through cotton clouds and azure skies. Keffer's more interested in fly-bys over interplanetary terrain and the negotiation of meteor fields, with oxygen deprivation and some bumps and turbulence along the way.
It's an intoxicating brew, this music, the juice of an alien fruit that's sweet enough to swallow but burns on its way down. Leslie Keffer's definitely found her own territory, and it's a space to which we could all use a visit.
The music from this cassette is also available on Keffer's Brine release on her own Action Claw imprint.
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