Approaching Totality

Pointless Orchestra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 20, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• ASIN: B00005RI8Y
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,366,068 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. 89.3 KHz/Sec.

2. Nosferatu

3. A Study in Metals (with Panya Roongruang)

4. Symmetry (with Anna Homler)

5. Concussions (with Matt Turner)

6. Red Meat Holiday, part two

7. Matter (with Amy Denio)

8. Approaching Totality (with Illusion of Safety)

9. Broken Spiral (with Joseph Celli)

10. Titaneum (with Z'ev)

11. Phaw Chai Dai (with Panya Roongruang)

Editorial Reviews

- The Cleveland Plain Dealer

“(Pointless Orchestra is) an auditory version of a hidden 3-D image.”

Product Description

“Approaching Totality” is the first full-length release by Pointless Orchestra. It represents the dissonant, abstract end of the group’s sound, including live stage performances, studio pieces, and live radio performances.

Pointless Orchestra observes an “open door” policy with their members. The line-up is constantly changing so that there are always new people and new sounds coming into the group. For this release, the line-up often included Mike Hovancsek, David Badagnani, and Mike Foster. There were also numerous guest appearances by established names in the avant-garde scene, including Illusion of Safety, Z’ev, Joseph Celli, Anna Homler, Amy Denio, Panya Roongruang, John Hajeski, Matt Turner, and Paul Guerguerian.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ominous and beautiful, January 29, 2004

By 

Mary Simpson (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Approaching Totality (Audio CD)

This is a fascinating CD. It is a series of abstract collage pieces played on a really unique collection of instruments. The instrument list includes "metals", cello, oboe, voice, piano, saw-u(?), and gu zheng(?!!). Many of the instruments appear to be Asian or Middle Eastern in origin.
Even though this is clearly experimental music, it isn't annoying or noisy. It is more like clouds of abstract sound that wash over you, shimmering and strange. This is not New Age music (it is far too ominous for that) but it is meditative and evocative. It sounds like something that Brian Eno would come up with if he worked with Asian musicians.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meditative and Strange, May 30, 2007

By 

Music Fan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Approaching Totality (Audio CD)

This music is very relaxing and beautiful but it isn't vapid and forgettable like New Age music. Instead, this is a collection of abstract sounds and improvisation on instruments from around the world. It is all so wonderful and strange! This CD includes some really significant guest artists like Joseph Celli (world music reed player) and Illusion of Safety (a legendary electronic music group).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Abstract Explorations Into New Worlds Of Sound!, May 2, 2007

By 

Parallax - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Approaching Totality (Audio CD)

Pointless Orchestra is a group that created really interesting abstract music that challenged their listeners to hear music in new ways. Their music successfully combined free improvisation and sound collages to create something new out of familiar elements of sound. "Approaching Totality" includes a wide array of musical instruments from around the world but don't expect this to sound like folk music! It is more like a collection of strange collages that ebb and flow in constantly suprising directions. Even though this music is highly unusual, it is also very calming because there aren't any of the sudden blasts of noise or unsettling timbreal shifts that a lot of free improvisation and collage music contain. I read on their website that Pointless Orchestra disbanded a few years ago. Check out their work while it is still available!