Apparitions from the typhoon - time to contact the medicine man. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)
2012 should be renamed the year of Rambutan. When he's not busy illuminating minds with Burnt Hills and Century Plants, Eric Hardiman - thee main man at Tape Drift - creates otherworldly drones and sounds with his solo endeavor, Rambutan. Hot on the heels of the highly impressive Tidal/Rambutan split on Aguirre, comes this lovely release, Typhoon Shapes, on Cae-sur-a. On Typhoon Shapes, Rambutan guides us through a sonically rich and diverse landscape that, in the end, proves to be the medicine man. As somebody that has listened to this project for the last three years, Typhoon Shapes is one of my favorites from Eric's celebrated discography.
Much like a healthy bong rip, time is of the essence. And Eric comprehends this better than most, as 'Lightning Whelk', the first track on side A, is one of the prettiest songs of the year. Its bucolic imagery, serenity and wistfulness produce some of the finest moments on tape this year. In feeling - not instruments - it reminds me of the laptop experiments of O'Rourke and Fennesz - top notch. Next, 'Under Observation' feels Orwellian, as a compendium of sound goes straight for your head. Full of suspenseful sounds, its ominous tones remind me of clandestine surveillance and the ubiquitous cameras of the contemporary US security state. At this point, guessing what would come next is like throwing darts in the darkness. 'More Than You Should Know' confirms this with a wonderful vocal montage. The last track from side A, Vapor Columns, shines with the embryonic warmth of organ-like tones that mature into a glowing, fried mass - always growing in significance. The two tracks that act as bookends are magnificent.
Side B is full of psych beauty, as the title track begins the last half of the journey. Typhoon Shapes is a beautiful track that consists of a myriad of contrasting elements - a soft, rolling drone, scraped/aggressively struck strings and docile tones. 'Trading Time' hovers above pensively - lots of glowing tones in this track - a nice contrast to the preceding track. All of this climaxes with the epic closer, 'The Future of the Inevitable'. - the stuff of the psychedelic dreamer.
Songs for the shade garden. Typhoon Shapes has a good thing going with my tape deck, and it's not going to end soon. Also, the other tapes in Cae-sur-a's new batch - especially the April in the Orange cassette - are heavy hitters. Over the next few weeks, more of these alluring works of art will appear on this blog. Pro printed and in a hand-numbered edition of 100, Cory E. Card, proprietor of Cae-sur-a, is responsible for the artwork. One can purchase Typhoon Shapes directly from Cae-sur-a, or through my brotha, Jackson, at Flipped Out.
peace to you, friends :)
