专辑简介

by François Couture

This CD was recorded live at the Gallery Den in Tokyo on April 5, 2000. Guitarist Taku Sugimoto plays his usual guitar -- slow pure notes, very tonal and minimal -- and occasionally drifts into sustained tones (particularly on track four). Kevin Drumm uses his guitar as an input device for electro-acoustic manipulations. His work (buzzes, clicks, etc.) accounts for 80 percent of the sounds heard on Den. At times, he breaks loose of Sugimoto's dreamy bubble, goes wild and finally settles down while the Japanese guitarist keeps on playing like nothing ever happened (this scenario is also followed on track four). Pretty little actually happens most of the time, and if there are moments of shining beauty, one must come to the conclusion that this is not one of either musician's best performances. Den must be listened to at a high volume in order to catch the quiet moments; otherwise, it will play without anyone noticing. The sparse number of sound events per minute and the repeated use of high-range frequencies make no concession to the listener. This album is for the avant-garde diehard only.