Jim O'Rourke – Rules Of Reduction

Respected Avant Garde guitarist JIM O'ROURKE takes time out to create a 16'52"-long audiomontage which purports to be Musique Concrete, but is actually closer to HAFLER TRIO-style jigsaws of found elemental sounds. Noises here include water washing against some river bank; street noises (especially car horns - an ensemble piece which transforms into an all-too-brief Jazz Minimalist session, like BRANCA with horns); children's playground; distant aircraft....you get the idea. Small slices of music are slipped between the found ambience - mellow little vignettes which themselves seem almost ambient wallpaper of saxophone and piano (from the talents of KEN NOVOTNY and DENNIS WILSON respectively). To me Musique Concrete should be exciting, challenging, outre. This is more like tuning a radio into various stations, which are all playing uninspired field recordings. Ok, so it's a relaxing experience to listen to (apart from the car horns) but it would have been nice if it were interesting, challenging and innovative too.

Originally reviewed for Soft Watch.