Beach Sloth

Gideon Wolf – Paper 7.9

                Gideon Wolf dabbles in a little of everything on Paper. In practice they are a bit different. For one they appear to take a similar route to other classically-bent bands like ‘Rachel’s’. They take this classical approach even further. Some of these songs are completely experimental formless in nature. When Gideon Wolf explores these more avant-garde leanings they transcend the average modern classical sound. Much of this is a new approach towards modern classical. They opt to include elements of psychedelic repetition. 

                ‘Paper’ introduces the album. It starts out with a delicate piano. Eventually the piano is trapped in a groove as vocal manipulation is used to create a large wall of sound. The breathing of the vocalists is audible. Phil Niblock uses similar techniques but he generally edits out things like breaths. Hearing the gasp for air is a bit disturbing. Vocal manipulation is found across the album. ‘Cathedral’ is nothing but the use of voices on a giant canvas. ‘Nine Hundred Miles’ is reminiscent of Akira Rabelais’s work down to the slow disintegration of the voices themselves. Feel how the voices drift off into space. By far it is the most affecting piece on the entire album. 

                This is an interesting take on vocal manipulation meets classical music. Bits of glitch influences appear here and there. Generally these are done tastefully. Indeed much of this shows how cleanly executed glitch can be. Really the best parts of the entire album are the vocal experiments which are like little I have ever heard before. ‘Paper’ will stay with you for a while.