Thurston Moore - Klangfarbenmelodie.. And The Colorist Strikes Primitiv

Klangfarbenmelodie….And The Colourist Strikes Primitiv by Thurston Moore was recorded live in 1994 and released the following year by Corpus Hermeticum (Bruce Russell from The Dead C's label). Moore is accompanied on these recordings by free jazz drummer Tom Surgal. This reissue has been edited by Russell, who also contributes new liner notes, and is available on white vinyl through Glass Modern.

We embark on the 21 minute trip that is part one of the title track. Out of the audience chatter come Surgal's scattered drum hits. Moore starts off slowly, offering some feral squeaks and growls. Nothing as bourgeois as the sound of the plectrum on a string at this stage. This develops into the strange maritime noises that are familiar from Sonic Youth records - clanging bell-like noise and creaking timbers. This then moves into a more musical passage as Moore starts wandering around the neck of his guitar. The noise levels increase and Surgal starts throwing out more rolls and shuffles. From about halfway through Moore starts to hit his stride and his guitar begins to moan like a huge, wounded animal. The pair finish the piece sounding like a plague of locusts. There's a brief pause (possibly to allow for the flipping of the record) and we fade into part two. The scene has been set already so the lads are flying now. Occasional whoops and cheers can be heard from the crowd as screams and hums launch themselves from Moore's amp. Throughout, Surgal pushes Moore into ever more sustained attacks on his equipment and the crowd can be heard egging them on further. Towards the end of the piece the calm is restored. The last track is the seven minute Phase II, which starts quietly as the duo get their bearings. Again, it sounds rather like a huge ship struggling in the quiet after a storm. To extend the analogy, the storm then starts picking up again. Surgal’s drumming becomes busier and Moore’s guitar starts to clang. They then move into a pulse section that briefly becomes quite Can-like and then finishes.

Thurston Moore turned 60 earlier this year. Like all the ex-members of Sonic Youth, he is a renaissance person, as like to release a book as start a label or curate an exhibition. This particular album comes from the more difficult end of his discography. A meeting of Surgal's Free Jazz chops and Moore's Noise-Rock attack. Clearly, it's not the record you would select to introduce a novice to the great man's work. But for admirers of his particular approach to guitar-playing and improvisation, it is a welcome re-issue.