Flössin - Lead Singer
(Ache)
Few collaborations seem as unusual, at first glance, than the musical meeting of processed guitar meister Christopher Willits, Zach Hill, the seemingly extra-limbed drummer of Hella, and Miguel Depedro, a guy who’s perhaps just a little more well-known as Kid606. The commotion of Hill’s drumming seems in direct contrast with Willits’ usually more placid work, and while Depedro’s managed to get his hands all sorts of musical styles as Kid606, it’s unlikely that anyone would’ve predicted his pairing with either of his Flössin compatriots. Lead Singer, though, proves that not only did these three bay area musicians find themselves in a studio together, but that the results of their alliance were, in fact, much more fruitful than might have been expected.
Though the tracks on Lead Singer were all improvised, they’re not without an innate logic and some repeated phrases and themes. Often, Willits and/or Depedro act as the trio’s rhythm section, either by looping their output or restating motifs often enough to provide a structure upon which Hill’s flurry of percussion is splattered. Willits’ sound clouds drift across the background of the music, a mobile anchor for the general direction of each track. The flow of his sonic floes is sometimes obscured by Depedro and Hill, but Willts’ contribution to these sessions may well be the anchor that holds them together. Glitchy, as is to be expected, Depedro’s array of samples and loops combine with Willts’ guitar to give the electronic segment of Flössin an imperfect, fragile feel, quite appropriate when they’re up against Hill’s drums for most of the disc’s duration. When Depedro rises in the mix to obscure even Hill, there’s something lost in the balance that the trio are able to achieve. Hill, as usual, makes a statement with his hyperactive drumming, some of the busiest stick work that side of the Mississippi. Though, at breakneck speed and in the heat of the moment, it’s unlikely that Hill had much time to react to Willits & Depedro, he shows a keen improvisatory awareness, and seems adept at listening, even during a percussive assault that seems to leave little room for breathing, much less listening and comprehension.
It’s surprising how well these three gel, and how natural their music can sound. Hill’s manic playing, in this setting, takes on an almost jazzy feel, at times, and, somehow, under the blanket of Willits’ guitar, can seem to swing in an almost carefree way. That’s the beauty of Flössin, though; the trio manage to squash any doubts that seem to inevitably arise during Lead Singer, and when the music teeters on the edge of falling apart or becoming too chaotic, Depedro, Hill, and Willits are able to somehow end up sounding good. Lead Singer may not quite explore a new idiom in improvisation, but it’s hard to deny that Flössin have tapped an interesting vein in what, hopefully, won’t become a one-off meeting.
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