HxH\u00a0<\/strong>(H by H) comes from the duo, who describe their music as \u201calmost sculptural.\u201d \u00a0The sonics are undulating and smooth, but comprised of granules of sound. \u00a0In the opening minutes of \u201cBEACH,\u201d one can easily hear the static-charged portions as the approach and withdrawal of waves from the sand. \u00a0Chris Ryan Williams\u2019 trumpet echoes the vast surface of the sea while Lester St. Louis\u2019 cello reflects the unvisited depths. \u00a0As label founder KMRU notes, there is also an \u201cin-between layer,\u201d an ineffable portion one might call intuitive or empathetic, characterized by the sense of flow. \u00a0This can be felt most succinctly at 12:25 as the waves fall silent, giving way to trumpet and pulse, causing a corresponding shift in the listener.<\/p>\n\u201cBEACH\u201d takes up all of Side A, but also lends itself to being played as a loop. \u00a0When one is ready to move forward \u2013 to leave behind this blissful panorama \u2013 the reward is a poetic turn by Ayorinde E. Peebles. \u00a0\u201cPyrex Vision\u201d is an invitation to look within. \u00a0Field recordings are audible in the form of footsteps, as Peebles narrates an experience in a float pool. \u00a0Her meditations lead to a vision of realignment, as wordless voice sneaks into the background, a spiritual echo of a primal need.<\/p>\n
The tipping point arrives at 3:54, a sudden burst tipping into a pool of cello and a revelation: \u201cyou are this incredible and unbelievable grandeur.\u201d \u00a0Peebles connects the experience to one of gazing out over the unfathomable ocean, connecting the track to the one before it. \u00a0Throughout the telling, she has seemed alone, but at the end of her words there arrives a warm, appreciative laugh. \u00a0The timbre rises temporarily to a drone, then falls back, spent.<\/p>\n
After the talk of ancestry, it\u2019s only fitting that the LP ends with \u201cErta Ale.\u201d \u00a0The title is shared with an active Ethiopian volcano, famous for its lava lake. \u00a0The region is the cradle of civilization, while the volcano represents an ongoing creative heat. \u00a0The restrained drums and cymbals connect the listener to these ancient forces; the synthesizers represent a restless search, while hints of rattle suggest the steam engines that bisect the land. \u00a0Whistles recall air escaping from steam vents, as well as the song of the joyous runner.<\/p>\n
The tracks share an obvious connection; whether returning to ancestral lands, the primordial sea or the spirit, they connect with forces that existed before humankind. \u00a0As the duo\u2019s first recorded output, STARK PHENOMENA\u00a0<\/em>is a genesis in more ways than one. \u00a0(Richard Allen)<\/strong><\/p>\n
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<\/a>Perhaps the best description of\u00a0HxH\u00a0<\/strong>(H by H) comes from the duo, who describe their music as \u201calmost sculptural.\u201d \u00a0The sonics are undulating and smooth, but comprised of granules of sound. \u00a0In the opening minutes of \u201cBEACH,\u201d one can easily hear the static-charged portions as the approach and withdrawal of waves from the sand. \u00a0Chris Ryan Williams\u2019 trumpet echoes the vast surface of the sea while Lester St. Louis\u2019 cello reflects the unvisited depths. \u00a0As label founder KMRU notes, there is also an \u201cin-between layer,\u201d an ineffable portion one might call intuitive or empathetic, characterized by the sense of flow. \u00a0This can be felt most succinctly at 12:25 as the waves fall silent, giving way to trumpet and pulse, causing a corresponding shift in the listener.<\/p>\n