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Interstitial - Temporal Arc :: Review by Rik MacLean at Ping Things
Saturday, July 4, 2009
"Temporal Arc" by Interstitial
Originally released in 2001, "Temporal Arc" by Interstitial is a great album that blends drones and percussive elements in a fluid and natural way, resulting in an engaging collection of music that still sounds fresh and vital now almost ten years later. John Koch Northrup of Interstitial has brought together sounds and tones in a skillful mix that pays equal attention to all of the elements in the soundfield, giving the listener something new to discover with each listen.
Opening track "Frozen" establishes a style for the release, pairing deep drones with pulsing rhythms to create a feeling of motion within the track. As it continues, the drones slowly become more sophisticated and dense, and the rhythms become more complex, moving the song from one distinct space to another in such a subtle and immersive way that you don't notice you've moved until you arrive at your new location. The same sort of gradual movement can also be found in "Bones of the Dead", where oblique motion helps the track drift along, and in "Refraction" where IDM sensibilities take the listener in completely new and interesting directions within the established soundscape of the release.
In addition to the aforementioned tracks, there are some particularly wonderful moments of melodic beauty and purity on the disc that bear further mention. "Movement in Glass" features a quiet piano played overtop a lightly crackling background tone. It's a subtle piece of music, one that brings to mind a thousand delicate images that pass through my head during its length, and I've always enjoyed music that evokes that kind of imagery. It's the bonus track "Marco Polo" that stands out the most for me though. Originally appearing on a compilation in 2002 and added for this rerelease, "Marco Polo" is a seemless blending of field recordings and drones that creates a dark and haunted but no less beautiful environment. As the track progresses it becomes more complex, adding tonal layers that give it a greater depth of emotion and space. Stylistically it fits in wonderfully with the rest of the disc, in some ways becoming a centre-piece around which all the other tracks revolve. A really great addition to a really great collection of music.
Needless to say, I really enjoy this release. With "Temporal Arc", John Koch Northrup has proven himself to be an artist who pays careful attention to the spaces within his work, and who's music exists within it's own niche separate from styles and trends. I strongly recommend it, and I very much look forward to hearing more work from John in the future!
"Temporal Arc" by Interstitial is available now from AtmoWorks.
rik - ping things
Posted originally at: http://pingthings.blogspot.com/2009/07/temporal-arc-by-interstitial...
Album available for purchase at: http://store.atmoworks.com/index.php?page=catalog.php?artist=Inters...
"Temporal Arc" by Interstitial
Originally released in 2001, "Temporal Arc" by Interstitial is a great album that blends drones and percussive elements in a fluid and natural way, resulting in an engaging collection of music that still sounds fresh and vital now almost ten years later. John Koch Northrup of Interstitial has brought together sounds and tones in a skillful mix that pays equal attention to all of the elements in the soundfield, giving the listener something new to discover with each listen.
Opening track "Frozen" establishes a style for the release, pairing deep drones with pulsing rhythms to create a feeling of motion within the track. As it continues, the drones slowly become more sophisticated and dense, and the rhythms become more complex, moving the song from one distinct space to another in such a subtle and immersive way that you don't notice you've moved until you arrive at your new location. The same sort of gradual movement can also be found in "Bones of the Dead", where oblique motion helps the track drift along, and in "Refraction" where IDM sensibilities take the listener in completely new and interesting directions within the established soundscape of the release.
In addition to the aforementioned tracks, there are some particularly wonderful moments of melodic beauty and purity on the disc that bear further mention. "Movement in Glass" features a quiet piano played overtop a lightly crackling background tone. It's a subtle piece of music, one that brings to mind a thousand delicate images that pass through my head during its length, and I've always enjoyed music that evokes that kind of imagery. It's the bonus track "Marco Polo" that stands out the most for me though. Originally appearing on a compilation in 2002 and added for this rerelease, "Marco Polo" is a seemless blending of field recordings and drones that creates a dark and haunted but no less beautiful environment. As the track progresses it becomes more complex, adding tonal layers that give it a greater depth of emotion and space. Stylistically it fits in wonderfully with the rest of the disc, in some ways becoming a centre-piece around which all the other tracks revolve. A really great addition to a really great collection of music.
Needless to say, I really enjoy this release. With "Temporal Arc", John Koch Northrup has proven himself to be an artist who pays careful attention to the spaces within his work, and who's music exists within it's own niche separate from styles and trends. I strongly recommend it, and I very much look forward to hearing more work from John in the future!
"Temporal Arc" by Interstitial is available now from AtmoWorks.
rik - ping things
Posted originally at: http://pingthings.blogspot.com/2009/07/temporal-arc-by-interstitial...
Album available for purchase at: http://store.atmoworks.com/index.php?page=catalog.php?artist=Inters...
Tags: arc, interstitial, review, temporal
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