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Despite what seems an improvisational, free-falling flow to the tracks on this fascinating disc,
Brannon Hungness'
(the lone Figure) inherent compositional prowess (he won the 1992 Donald
Keys Award for Composers as well as has received
several commissions from professional
performing organizations) always lends an element of control to the music. There
always seems
a purpose. What Figure creates is an original take on sonic darkness, avant-garde by nature
(which
makes sense as he is active in New York City's often experimental downtown scene). It
is vibrant and alive, even if
it seems a reflection of desolation. The sonic imprint of lingering
memories and residual voices prevails, as exemplified
by the brushed with radio static distortion,
knob-spinning search for life that is woven into the music. The seven
glimpses at the day after
tomorrow end with a masterful trilogy (though only two tracks register on the CD player)
initiated by the twenty-eight minute jumbled noise parade ambience (not like the abusive,
indiscriminate noise
of Merzbow, this is more lucid and always moving) of "Seraphim
Hallucino," eliciting sorrow, wonder and confusion
amidst the vast, post-apocalyptic wonderland
it explores, climaxing with the Philip Glass inspired, repetitious orchestral
crescendo that
escalates to monumental heights (and intensity) during the title track, swiftly followed by the
sizzling,
tension loop denouement of "Collapse." An immensely enjoyable listening experience!
-JC Smith, Outburn Magazine
Figure is American composer Brannon Hungness (amazingly from North Dakota). He's been
involved with a good
number of comissioned projects from professional organizations and has
won lots of big awards for composing and blah blah.
Usually after all that ones musical output, in
my opinion, tends to be a bit boring or overblown yet this CD proves me
wrong. Perhaps he
keeps himself grounded via playing with the noise-rock band Hammerhead (also from North
Dakota!)
or perhaps he just ignores awards or government funded programs. This is a very good
CD. Most all tracks are highly orchestral
deadly engrossing ambient pieces. Very
post-apocalyptic and reverberating, highly haunting and excellent background music
(that's not
meant as an insult!). The CD features both Elliot Sharp and the Morpheus Chamber
Orchestra as well as
other guest musicians, creating a scary chapter in the long book of
ambience.
-John Fanning, Prospective
With
its organ grind long low keys, My Spine Is The Bow That Breaks keeps to a Gothic
sensation and fits right in among the
florid flocks. Creator Brannon Hungness (so that's what's
going on in Dakota) likens to Diamanda Galas however, where
the make-up doesn't matter one
bit. Incredibly slick and professional, this CD tells tales of real thought and serious
endeavours.
There's a real nightmare going on in there, a vehicle to cerebral mutilation so far blacker than
most
death Rock that goes before. With its own embedded guillotine coming down here and
there it cuts no noise, but silence.
Quiet. A little horror if you add in your own heartbeat,
exquisite handling of anticipation, and dread. Unrequited fear
in the sudden cut-offs. It is easy to
hear that Mr. Hungness has some valid training, and is working towards a masterpiece.
Aided by
Elliott Sharp and The Morpheus Chamber Orchestra among others, Figure is close to one;
just stay on the edge
of your seat and see when it surges. In the meantime, listen to the bow
break.
-Lilly, FREQ webzine
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Exhaling Ammonia
Her Name Is Alcohol
Crucifixion
The Day I Crawled Into My Mouth
A Flowering World Divides
d'
Illumin
Rose Of Our Lips
Wash
end.
Composed, produced and performed by Figure
"Exhaling Ammonia" is the second album from the American experimentalist
Figure. His music defies any exact categorisation, even though it mainly consists of dark ambient sounds. One very characteristic
quality of his music is its complete unpredictability. Many of the songs sound like totally separate ones if you should listen
to a bit of the beginning and then a bit of the end, skipping the in-between. The sound itself is also very unpredictable.
Sometimes strange heavily treated vocals appear only to disappear again, a moment later. Sometimes an acoustic guitar appears
amidst a silent chaos of distorted noises. Sometimes a strong melody appears in an otherwise unstructured atmospheric piece,
and you wait for the melody to reappear, which it never does. "Exhaling ammonia" is consequently a very exciting album to
listen to.
The first song off the album, "Her Name is Alcohol" is quite a
peculiar track. It sounds like something filtered through an extremely intoxicated mind. Sounds and noises melt into each
other and nothing is distinguishable. Still, you cannot call this an atmospheric song, because it is very disturbing. If you
have ever been way too drunk, you will inevitably be reminded of that event (or those events) when you hear this song. The
song slowly increases in intensity and after a while you almost feel the nausea of too much alcohol in your system, even if
you are perfectly sober. In that sense, "Her Name is Alcohol" is the strongest track of this album, at least for me, since
no other song has that almost physical effect.
My favourite track, though, is the song "d'". This is a very atmospheric piece with an acoustic guitar as the main
element. The song builds up slowly with layers of treated sounds and subdued noises. There is also a rhythmic element that
slowly intensifies, from a barely audible background to an almost dominating part of the song.
Another favourite is the
song "Illumin", which, under the course of twelve minutes, slowly changes from soft, harmonic ambient to complete noise, close
to power electronics. This song is then followed by the poetic "Rose of Our Lips", which is a vocal piece that reminds me
of earlier Black Tape for a Blue Girl. This is a good example of the contrasts this album offers.
"Exhaling Ammonia" is
an expertly crafted album, with songs that have a lot of different aspects and details to discover. I recommend headphones
when you are listening to it, however. It is not easy listening and it takes a lot of concentration to enjoy it. It is well
worth the effort, though.
/Anders Eklund
www.movinghands.net
Don't Forget Me When I'm You
AudioDrainRecording
audiodrainrecordings.com
Here's a review from Connexion Bizarre:
This being my first contact with the work of Figure, I made a critical mistake, namely listening to this
record while on the street. I only realized what horrible injustice this did to the album upon listening to it as instructed
in the CD booklet: alone and by darkness.
Figure are as serious with their art as it gets. The musical structures within
this album are quite a handful, ranging from organic ambiences and slow metallic percussion, to sheer walls of static and
droning buildups, adorned occasionally with wind instruments. All these combine into chaotic and eerily complex soundscapes
that, despite their great level of quality, are not the main focus of the disc, but merely a stage, a backdrop that serves
only one purpose, showcasing the vocals.
Haunting to the point of being outright creepy, the vocals are not the standard
noise-fare of distorted voice. Crystal clean, howled and chanted, they'll grab your attention by the balls purely by strength
of drama and emotion, resulting in a record that is not only immensely dark, but heavy as well (that coming from an avid powernoise
fan), a true "opera for open eyes closed", to quote the booklet. "W.t.A.H.i.y.M" is not easy listening, and as a limited 100
disc release, I see this one becoming quite a collector's item. I for one, am glad I have it among my records.
Listen
alone, listen in the dark and listen carefully... only then can you truly appreciate "W.t.A.H.i.y.M" for what it is, a disturbing
walk through the darkest paths of the musician's mind, and through it, to yours.
My Spine Is The Bow That Breaks
&
Exhaling Ammonia
are available from:
Multimood Records
to order by credit card click here
Figure has also appeared on:
Kill Myself On Monday- Hit (AudioDrain)
Oblivion Ensemble- Nightmare SinistrotorsE (Complacency)
Oblivion Ensemble-
PhonoRecord (Drone Records)
Glenn Branca- Symphony Nos. 8 & 10 (Atavistic/Blast First)
Glenn Branca- Selections
From The Symphonies (Atavistic)
Brannon Hungness- Virtual Symphony No.1: Inaudible Silence (Multimood)
apokalypsis
explicata- (Multimood compilation)
State of the Union 2.001- (EMF Records, compiled by Elliott Sharp)
and various
other releases that would be way too hard to find at this point...
copies of the 2 Oblivion Ensemble albums can
be ordered by contacting info@audiodrainrecordings.com
in the near future Figure will be releasing a series
of CDs that will contain unreleased solo and collaborative material
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