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Compilations are good for several things — mix tapes,
conversations, and, at worst, as Frisbees. (And not very good
Frisbees at that.) All Tomorrow's Parties 1.0isn't
projectile-worthy in any case: from the crippling darkness created by
Black Heart Procession to the slinky tics of Prefuse 73, it's an
eclectic and vivid companion piece to the selfsame music festival,
curated by Tortoise, earlier this year.
While "previously unreleased tracks" compilations lure us with what
turn out to be previously bin-consigned outtakes or songs of
nano-quality, the work on All Tomorrow's Parties 1.0 is of a
surprisingly high standard. In "Cliff Dweller Society," Tortoise
create a series of short curiosities, from fragments of brass-laden
majesty to a steadfast clinking reminiscent of someone balancing
glassware. Rick Rizzo and Tara Key's "Sinfo" haunts with a vast sense
of desolation, like the sweeping bleeds of a painted desert
nightscape. With its motif of children's laughter and forlorn sense
of artifice, the Boards of Canada contribution, "In A Beautiful Place
Out in the Country," is as eerie and beautiful as a long-lost memory.
It's disappointing that the twee sophistication of the Sea and Cake
has been electronically rendered beyond recognition (ditto the
Broadcast contribution), but the electronic and hip-hop artists less
familiar to me make up for it. When one ATP punter was asked who he
looked forward to seeing at the festival, he mentioned album
contributors Yo La Tengo and Autechre, "who I know a bit of, " but
added, "It's the not-knowing thing that's good." That's part of the
reason this compilation works well — you can expect the
surprises to be rewarding.
The liner notes of All Tomorrow's Parties 1.0 end with this:
"In an era when the original artform is now exhausted or in some
cases redundant, this record will hopefully restore your faith in
music because immitation [sic] is trying to dupe us all." As a
counterbalance, it may be noted that my 7-year-old sibling responded
to Russell Haswell's glitch-tinkering with a passionate "This song is
disgusting!"
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