Ascension

Glenn Branca | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 17, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 1981
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Acute
• ASIN: B00009EIPG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,212 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overlooked gem: Side two THE rehearsal, June 20, 2003

By 

Yves Latorte (Columbia, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ascension (Audio CD)

This album dates from 1981 but time has been and will continue to be very kind to it I believe. A bass player, a drummer and four electric guitarists have loosely/tightly constructed 5 instrumental tone poems. The first three seem provincial, statements that adhere to living in harsh New York City at the time. They are telling of things like the stock market, urban angst, spiritual bankruptcy, etc. But it is the last two of the five, which comprised the original 99 Records LP second side, that grant a big reward and go beyond the branding of "culture", a feat accomplished only by masterpieces. Track four "Light Field [In Consonance]" and five "The Ascension" describe an important destination and the arc of its journey there. They are unmistakable to any person who has ever suffered while in the throes of growing. Light Field is a glimpse of that promised land to come, which smiles with the light of six suns, so turn it up real loud. "The Ascension" describes a path of time that can be imagined and re-imagined over and over again. This travelogue can be given one of a variety of new names every time. A few suggestions: the birth canal saga, the crucifixion, the ego death, the transmigration of soul. These final tracks are exceptionally ecstatic musical objects, suitable for aesthetic contemplation but better for deep personal catharsis. By combining multiple guitars in chiefly major keys, Branca creates a sonority that had never been heard before, and rarely since. In the fever of spiritual climax, this sound feels like a thousand church bells dissolving matter into clear light; the entire idea of studio vanishes. It may sound merely like six guys trying to get symphonic in the early auditions. But given time, the code of soul truth slowly emerges, and this truth feels nourishing, all too true, all too real, an accurate metaphor for how hard it is to grow, to advance in a human body, at just about any point of passage. It transcends NYC and steps into the kind of holy land that is reached only by certain practitioners of Indian classical music and certain composers of large choral oratorios. Sound over the top? Check it out, the therapeutic possibilities are numerous.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Structured Noise, January 26, 2006

By 

directions "neuralbuddhist" (Space Time Foam) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ascension (Audio CD)

The Ascension could fall in the same category as another Ascension, John Coltrane's in particular in that it puts together a large group of musicians for a free improvisation but somehow seems to have rules or structures that keep in within a certain framework. It has elements of minimalism, certainly Philip Glass is a name check except that it is really LOUD so that you forget the pretensions. And yes, Lee Ranaldo is on it. Sonic Youth took the wall of noise of this album and fit it into song length and made history. The Ascension is a good antidote for ambient albums and I'm glad to see it in regular cd format remembering the good laugh I had when I went to a pretentious record store that had original lp's of "The Ascension" and "Lesson #1" marked for one hundred bucks with a sticker saying, "If you don't know what this is and why it costs this much, don't bother to ask". Avante-garde fanatics will drool over this cd, the rest of us can blast it at speaker damaging volume and ask questions later.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitive 80's Branca, September 30, 2007

By 

JCJB So-Cal (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ascension (MP3 Download)

... with the Longo cover and tray art to prove it. Army of guitars, track 4, Light Field (in consonance) is by itself worth the price of admission. Brilliant. What Phillip Glass might have done if he played electric guitar on acid. In the best possible sense, great stuff. Much of Branca can be daunting, so the recommendation is to check out this album and track 4, Light Field first - very, very cool.