Past

Artist: Phil Minton & Veryan Weston
Label: Rer
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1
EAN: 7527250188218
ASIN: B0002KU8OG

Release Date: 2004-10-05

Related Categories:

Britain

Avant Garde & Free Jazz

| Jazz | Styles | Music

General

| Jazz | Styles | Music

Listmania:

Brilliant Vocal Insanity

Tracks:

Eating Centuries
Romantic Artist
When Icicles Hang By The Wall
Gemini I
In Wunderschonen Monat Mai
A Dream
Frogs Arose
Magnificat
Im Rhein, Im Heiligen Strome
Gemini II
Milestone
The Fly
I Guess I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
Floating Sock
Maggie And Milly And Molly And May
Oh Whispering
Waters Of March
Bonus Track 1

Customer Reviews:

"Rises spontaneously from the root of genius".......2007-01-16

"Past" is a collection of experimental outings utilizing only voice and piano from like minded mad men Phil Minton and Veryan Weston. Seemingly recorded in a single take with little if any production, many of the songs have a jolly though somewhat sarcastic theater or lounge quality until them, however the majority of the songs are anything but easy listening. The creepy preview collage that opens the album should give you an idea of what to expect. "Romantic Artist" sets the tone with Minton singing "tongue in cheek" overly poetic lyrics about creativity in a strong melodic voice over cliche piano lines. However, things take a stranger twist during the chorus as Minton's voice becomes louder and stronger with each refrain, the boiling tension suddenly erupting into a chaotic but musical duet with a backing Weston.

Other songs are completely off the map. The most out there being the darkly funny and somewhat disturbing "Gemini" and "Floating Sock" work outs in which Minton's scat varies from hyperactive gibberish to growls to dying grunts to other freaky throat sounds that can't possibly be human. In addition to lending his own scat to the second "Gemini," Weston's spooky but wild piano playing quietly matches the maddness of the vocals. Oddly enough, the experiments never come off overly noisy, they instead are oddly musical. Though anything but traditional songs, there is a sense of direction and tension to the experiments that keep them from becoming rambling chaos.

"A Dream" might be the strongest and strangest highlight. As the title applies, the composition is based off a strange dream Minton claims to have had. Taking the lead, Weston sings and plays only one note and lyric at a time, with longer and longer silent breaks inbetween words; creating a tense and surreal effect not unlike a dream(though nightmare is more like it). Minton's scat haunts the background like a dying ghoul; giving the song a dangerous atmosphere where anything can happen. "Frogs Arose" would almost be a silly, swinging fun if it wasn't for Minton's creepy paranoid delivery. "Magnificat" opens with goat man singing over a happy piano melody before the bridge gives birth to unsettling, you guessed it, deranged cat like sounds. The cartoonish low octave vocals of "I'm Never Getting Out of This World Alive" and "Waters of March" bring to mind a more melodic and subtle Captain Beefheart as Minton and perhaps even Weston flucutate from strained crooning to bouncy tuba like voices and other goofy tones. Watch out for the enjoyable hidden track with Minton and Weston dueting with melodramatic urgency about desperately searching for new noise. Much more produced than the rest of album, multiple voice and music tracks crash into a whirlwind of oddly chaotic harmony around the speakers; given the album a proper climax to close with. Fans of Patton's wilder stuff, John Zorn, Beefheart, perhaps even Dillinger Escape Plan and the like should get a kick out of this if they can get past the minimalism of live voice and piano. For the most part this is two crazy but very talented old guys having fun.

Music CD:

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

A.W.O.L. ~ Big JSA

Road Food/Power in the Music ~ The Guess Who

Mosquito Dream ~ James Plotkin & Brent Gutzeit

Misbehavin' ~ Spaceshits

Continental Drifters ~ Continental Drifters

Whispers ~ Jackie Wilson

Dr. Love ~ The Whispers

Pucker-Up ~ Sweet N Lo'

Kings of Spring Break

I Am What I Am ~ YB