COLOURMUSIC
Mathewson OK (colourmusic.net)
Oklahoma-based band Colourmusic takes a detour from its noisy leftfield rock with this foray into Eno-eque environmental ambient territory and it’s a quiet triumph. The four tracks on Mathewson OK are all impressions of “locations” complete with grid references using Cartesian coordinates if you care to find them on a map. The album’s centerpiece is the extraordinary 34-minute “Location Two” and I’ll flatly state that it’s as good as any of Brian Eno’s longer pieces, ever. Built from a short keyboard phrase, a drone, hints of counter-melody and loads of space, it differs from Eno’s said pieces in one major respect in that it actually develops rather than remains static. Although morphing and expanding very gradually, by the 25 minute mark it has changed significantly, dissolving into a shimmering wall of tones.
Best Albums of 2020 Reviews Index
