So I met andy lippoldt from Persistence In Mourning on DFFD. Everyone knows those guys are balding snobs. I was banned from the forum for hurting their feelings. Whatever. Also the label that put this record out is poseur heaven. People should know that but also know that it doesnt influence my review.
Anyway prior to the aforementioned incident, I had been aware of andys band through a friend who follows them quite regularly and ends up sending me their releases. PIM display a tremendous talent. At a time when the appeal of most bands is lost on me due to the relentlessly episodic, perpetuative nature of their releases, PIM are all the more vital in that they have charisma. What I mean by this is that their releases exhibit identity and personality apropos to each individual outing and the time at which it was recorded. I hesitate to call them concept albums without hearing what andy has to say but I will tell you that the spirit is strong. What does this say about andy? He creates when he feels like it. His releases are not to be seen as PIM PT. 2...3...4...5 etc.
So that its clear, This album was viewed through several different mediums and was originally sent to me by andy himself as a CDR which I assume was made from the original masters of the album, thusly i have the utmost confidence in the fidelity of my copy. In being that this is a vinyl only release, it was devoid of packaging, about which I could quite frankly care less.
Initially the album was played several times through on my stereo which consists of a Sony headunit through a Mcintosh amplifier and two older Fried studio 7 monitors. My connections are not name brand but I assure you they are of the utmost quality and deliver superior sound. A high end rig, yes... but a great deal on the mcintosh presented itself and I couldnt refuse. I later converted the album in MP3 format for ipod playback and EQ'ed the album just a little with a bass boost.
Sonically this outing is rather sparse, brooding, strangely a little darker than previous releases. Andy advised me to begin with track 3 , interlude I (shes ashen), citing that the first two tracks were "mainly filler", this puzzles me as i thought the exact opposite, and not only due to the fact that track three is an interlude. I found the first two tracks to be the most content laden of the lot. Which to say this album is their most....noisy...affair relying more in synth effects than instrumentation. Is this negative? Yes and no. No in the fact that I enjoy sparsely paced noisy affairs as much as the next lunatic...but sadly I believe it to be in the instrumentation where PIM shines the brightest. And shine they do. What im trying to say is that this album doesnt "crush" in the sense that breaking with the wheel did. The whole album has a lucid strain of consciousness pacing...effecting vocals akin to godflesh...This is a good thing and andy & crew
(the album features several cameos, one by musical rennaisance man mike "bigga" colby) do it well. Remember that I said PIM releases had natures that were distinct and charismatic? This album is no anomaly and sounds vastly different from any other...yet still bearing andys signature. In the end it makes for an ambitious effort...yet I cant help hearing a bit of distraction. Perhaps this is due to the production method which I can imagine was somewhat scattered. I personally thought the guitar tracks sounded a little thin compared to the generally lush tone on previous releases...which for all I know was intentional...In the end this album is (with its few faults) leaps and bounds ahead of the its musical peers however I caution those unfamiliar with andys work that they might be a little more accommodated by one of the other PIM releases.
For more information on andy and his work,and to hear samples of this and other releases (including a fucking amazing thergothon cover) head on over to his myspace
PS, Stay tuned for an interview!
PPS, It should also be noted that andy likes old mans child.
PPPS, I love how the album cover got all fucked up when I posted it. Thank you blogspot.
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