- Two untitled tracks
This is the first part of the Angry Eelectric finger set from Nurse with wound. First announced to be a triple CD set to be released by World serpent. With their collapse it fell to American label Beta-Lactam-Ring records to release it. In December of 2004 it finally emerged as three separate LP and CD versions and one limited LP (200 copies) of the original material which the three artists worked on. This the first instalment is reworked by Sonic Youth collaborator and electro-acoustic composer Jim O’Rourke.
As stated in the review of the taster CD for this set, much of the material is reworked from old NWW releases. O’Rourke presents two long form tracks the first with a slow atmospheric introduction and slow evolving textures. The first builds slowly on the drones from Man with the Woman face and the thumping bell like toll seen on Irr.App.(Ext) taster track. O’Rourke collages many of the elements from the original material creating a very wide sound of both distant drama and close up activity. The bicycle chain sample being an example of this. O’Rourke has also added subtle concrete elements like bells, scratches and scrapes all over the mix. It a good use of the material and focuses on recomposing the original elements rather than out and out manipulation. The flute and sax parts from the members of Xhol Caravan are used in various places as background colour rather than guiding the piece. At around ten minutes the tension is released and the music suddenly strips down to soothing drones and metallic squeaks and creaks. Reminiscent of Mirrors Die Spiegel Manufaktur the mood is surreal and ghostly as the light mechanics and electronics tinkle and gently swirl. Soon we are dragged back to the wide open spaces now full of distortion and menace. It doesn’t last long though as the track plays out to delicate light bells and what sounds like someone playing table tennis, all propelled by the breeze of that Man with the woman face drone.
The second piece leaps into action without an elaborate build up. Sounding like the factory on the first track is tearing itself apart. Here O’Rourke uses more distortion and manipulation while still allowing the original material to take centre stage. Again the Xhol Caravan parts are used as subtle texturing although here they are given slightly more prominence, against throbbing drums and low exhaling drones. I’m pretty sure I can hear frogs and the sounds of roadwork’s thrown in by O’Rourke. At four minutes the track suddenly fades down to a pleasant sweeping drone and clockwork sounds. But tranquillity is short lived as the original materials opening shot of bending springs and wires returns with a beautiful string backing, added by O’Rourke. The explosions and noise which accompany it are made seemingly more poignant with the string section and it’s an excellent piece of counterpoint, which highlights O’Rourke classical music education. Much of the last seven or eight minutes of this piece are played out by more interesting additions by O’Rourke (children’s voices, chattering, more clockwork) coupled with the more restrained moments of Stapleton’s Original material. There’s an excellent Salt Marie Celeste like moment of rumblings and creaking at around seventeen minutes which is an interesting break from using the original materials as backbone for the composition. And it is with this deviation that O’Rourke ends his Angry Eelectric Finger.
