A thing called “Normal Music” by Visszajáró and Gustavo Jobim

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Normal MusicAs promised yesterday, a note on something ironically titled “Normal Music” by Visszajáró (László Lenkes and Ákos Czini from Serbia) and Gustavo Jobim (from Brazil). It is an instrumental album made up of four tracks, each nondescriptly titled “One,” “Two,” “Three” and “Four.” Each piece carries on for just over 10 minutes each.

If you can bear the first track, there are rewards on this recording, made on synthesizers and piano. As banal as these instruments may seem, this trio goes to extremes to create a form of musique concrète recalling the work of Stockhausen. The album opens with piercing screeches that sound like the perfect soundtrack for the climax of a horror film that ends on a hopeless note … for 10 minutes. There is a swirling melody in the din that grows higher and higher pitched as an undulating chorus of din rumbles and shimmers on and on and on. For the finale it fades away, and the tune’s only three pleasant notes on bells close out the piece, like some twisted little gag.

If the first piece may induce headaches, the second piece offers pure relief, though barely a melody appears. It is more an experiment in white noise. It thrums and pulses like some hidden machinery in the walls. Halfway through it downshifts, gradually, sounding like a trip slowly inward and deeper into sleep. In fact, this feels like externally induced biofeedback. It may do the trick for insomniacs looking for some sonic assistance to relax into sleep. There are a few, rare sprinkles of light piano trills, but always dominating is a breathy rhythm of electronic synths.

The other tracks are similar in spirit, but also different enough to reward adventurous listeners. For those intrigued by my description of this experimental drone music above, here is the full album to stream and/or download for free. Click through for more from these artists:

Hans Morgenstern

(Copyright 2013 by Hans Morgenstern. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)

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