Charalambides - Internal/Eternal
(Wholly Other)
Charalambides are a Texas guitar duo consisting of husband and wife Christina and
Tom Carter. They've developed quite an underground following on the
psychedelic/drone scene, contributing to the Harmony of the Spheres box set as well
as releasing six other albums. This record departs from their folkier leanings by
presenting a much more abstract style than their previous releases.
Internal/Eternal is a very mysterious, slightly Eastern-sounding album. The first
5 tracks blend almost seamlessly together, consisting mainly of guitars. This is
highly improvised music, yet also very controlled. Some of the ringing sounds in
the background (which may be Tibetan bowls) are chilling, as the recording sounds
like they are playing in a very large room.
Instead of steady drones, the Carters' guitars pluck notes in some non-standard
tuning. Each note is given it's own space to reverberate, and the effect becomes
almost disorienting. Listening to this record in a dark room is quite an
experience--I reached an almost temporal state of calm. Not everything is bright
and rosy, though--a very dark current runs throughout the record.
I love recordings that bring the physical space they were recorded in to the
listener. Charalambides achieve this until the last track, a musique concrete
composition that combines pianos and guitars with field recordings and ambient
sounds. Not far from Pierre Henry, this track falls a little bit short of their
capabilities. Still, Internal/Eternal marks a hopefully new direction for the
Charalambides.
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