Amish Records returns with another entry into their Required Wreckers Series and just in time for the crisp autumn days ahead of us. Mike Shiflet & Pete Swanson's split LP entry marks the fifth release in the ongoing series that has previously seen releases by Ben Vida, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Ensemble Economique, Gregg Kowalsky with Jozef Van Wissem, & Son of Earth. The series focus on the outer limits of artistic sound creation & each releases elegant packaging design sets it apart in a sea of over ambitious label's setting out to make a mark for themselves.
The split LP begins with Mike Shiflet's "Bedside" a beautiful, almost pastoral, electroacoustic composition. The track showcases a wide spectrum of sound and quality that incorporates multiple different sources a sound creation and processing. This ranges from the lo-fi hiss of distant field recordings to soft and lulling synthetic tones. As a listener I personally always enjoy it when a recording artist is able to seemingly blend together the history of recorded sound and new composition so thoroughly with each other.
Pete Swanson's side continues the rhythmic white noise explorations that he has been exploring for some time now. Screeches and crashes permeate the mix with a general air of chaos that is rendered with an edge of clarity that few "noise" compositions are able to capture. This isn't a sludge fest of blurry brown noise that seems to gobble up all other surrounding sounds like a black hole. There are indeed slight melodic phrases swimming throughout the fluorescent buzz and flickering bits of electronic overload.
Mike Shiflet & Pete Swanson split LP is available now via Amish Records.
