Customer Reviews

Rhys Chatham: An Angel Moves Too Fast To See

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was hoping for a lot more harmonic progression. Listened to this once and not sure I heard much besides the tonic chord. Maybe there's some great subtlety I can't hear at low volume?? Or maybe the king's new clothes aren't really there. (Funny how many people compare today's "serious" music to the Emperor's New Clothes!) Not sure why this music is compared to that of Glenn Branca, whose music is SO much more interesting.

For me, the coolest thing about numerous electric guitars playing in unison is that it isn't exactly "unison." Just like a singer can never sing the same line twice the exact same way, electric guitars piled on top of each other creates a chorus effect that makes music like this so cool. The effect is a great sonic wash that can sound like water crashing on rocks or a swarm of bees coming after you. I haven't listened to Rhys Chatham for very long but "An Angel Moves Too Fast To See" already feels like an undisputable high point. But from the looks of this page and the average star rating, I can see it is disputable.

What this five movement piece lacks in variance it makes up with everything else that makes guitar music enjoyable. The mid-tempo romps are my personal favorites but the slow burning tension of "No Trees" can go a long way in capturing one's imagination and taking it to a haunted house. Along with Branca, Chatham has carved out a unique musical world for himself through the use of electric guitars stomping the campground yet barely leaving a footprint. I like Branca and Chatham both, is that gonna be a problem?

As I look at the cover I am reminded of an essay by David Sedaris where he ponders the cover art of many an LP sleeve in his house. Many are capturing a far away gaze as if the main subject were listening to music. The child looking up in a hopeful glance is offset by the woman looking downtrodden in her turn downwards, as if she were shuddering in regret. It almost looks like the two of them are looking for that elusive angel, too fast to see, too mysterious to grasp.

Table of the Elements happily reissued the contents of their phenomenal but now out-of-print Rhys Chatham box set on individual CDs this year, so if you missed out on hearing these incredible electric guitar symphonies the first time around, you've got another chance to experience some of the most rockin' avant garde music ever recorded. Forget about Glenn Branca... Rhys Chatham is the real deal. (But buyer beware: Two Gongs is only for die-hard drone-heads...)