Review at a glance
Producer Sam Shepherd’s debut album, Elaenia, was one of the finest of 2015, mixing jazzy electronics with live instrumentation for a cerebral, unpredictable ride.
This isn’t the follow-up. It’s billed as an “environmental recording”, a set of five songs recorded in and inspired by the alien surroundings of the Mojave Desert.
Kites, recorded while walking through a valley swinging a directional microphone, features a restless synth loop that whizzes around your head like a fly looking for a window.
The 13-minute centrepiece, Kelso Dunes, builds from shimmering beginnings to an exhilarating guitar-led freakout.
It’s a relatively brief, freeform work, with beautiful passages, though without the accompanying film – screened at the Barbican last night – it’s a piece of art whose concept is more interesting than the end result.
(Pluto)