Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Bad Luck, Bloodroot EP

We've been coming across tenorist/composer Neil Welch a bit lately (especially his Sleeper). Here's another one of interest. It's Neil and drummer Chris Icasiano under the name Bad Luck, in a twenty-something minute EP Bloodroot (Table and Chairs). It came out in May but would be worth talking about if it came out 10 years ago or yesterday.

It's a free duet of tenor and drums of the avant free variety. Lots of dynamic free drumming of the heftier sort, with almost a rock density of attack. Neil's tenor covers lots of sonic ground, with color being at the foremost but energy happening nicely at times too. But that would be fine if rather unexceptional if it wasn't for what Neil does with his tenor and the digital delay.

He manages to get delay effects that overlap tenor parts and repeat them like some kind of unearthly gamelan, which when combined with Chris's energetic drumming put one in another zone altogether. So in the end there is something haunting and avant pleasing happening. You can get a download of this one for very little but it will send you to a place very much more great than little!

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