Drone Records

PLURALS - TriTone

Format: LP

Label & Cat.Number: Silken Tofu STX.62

Release Year: 2018

Note: first studio album recorded as a trio by this group from Brighton, UK, who worked on two pieces condensed from three hours of material... with:guitar, synthesizers, keyboards, vocals, tape machines, radio and reed and string instruments they create hypnotically layered psych-drone and post rock ambience.. "A record with two sides, obviously, showing two different sides of Plurals, not as obvious. From what I heard from them, this is the most refined work."

Price (incl. 19% VAT): €16.00

More Info

"Tri Tone is Plurals' first studio recording as a trio following the most recent releases which feature live or session material. The last studio release was 2014's Bugenès Melissae - two tracks of calmer, more reflective music, standing aside from the bulk of the group's output which tends towards noise as the ultimate splitting-point after a period of collected density.

On Tri Tone that density is an end in itself. It is slow music that maps out its space carefully in coming together. It may be the gentlest and most patient of Plurals' albums, though it required the longest and most detailed sonic wrangling to complete. Two pieces were chosen from three hours of recorded music, and were contracted and expanded again by turns until eventually the finished versions took shape.

Plurals' studio improvisations typically expel a significant amount of aggression and intensity in their early stages, holding closer resemblance to live performances. With such force expunged however, the following material sees them exploring lengthy passages of audio cogitation rarely delivered live.

Mastered & cut by Frederic Alstadt at Ångström Mastering, Brussels." [label info]

"Silken Tofu seems to be taken by the music of Plurals; as a follow-up to a double CD
'Atlantikwall' (see Vital Weekly 1076), they now release a LP. This LP is the first studio recording of them as a trio, and the first studio recording to be released since 2014. This trio of improvisers (Daniel Mackenzie, Michael Neaves and David Hamilton-Smith) use a variety of tools (guitar, synthesizers, keyboards, vocals, tape machines, radio and reed and string instruments) and then go about to do their improvised work. For this record they recorded some three hours of music and extracted forty-eight minutes spread out over the two sidelong pieces. I can't judge if that is a lot or not. The music on both pieces is quite dense, rich with sound and also mostly not too loud. That seems to me a bit of break with what I know from them so far, which was always bit more towards the noise of lo-fi drone music. Like
always the changes within the pieces is quite minimal; Plurals take their time to slow go from one point in their piece to the next. In 'Sun Lock' for instance a simple drone starts out and little by little they add more and more sound, while the original drone lingers on, and towards the end it is very much changed and no longer recognizable. It ends as quiet as it started. Hard to say how much post-production and
editing took place here. Surely something, I would think, but for all we know, it is released as it was played back then. ‘Bas Fond' on the other side is more from the drone rock side of Plurals with mildly distorted guitars played long form drones. A record with two sides, obviously, showing two different sides of Plurals, not as obvious. From what I heard from them, this is the most refined work." [FdW/Vital Weekly]