In a 2022 article written for The Wire, Bill Meyer described the music of the Powers/Rolin Duo as a fusion of “post Takoma guitar music with cosmic drones” – and this is something that I could agree to when I first listened to Clearing, the new release from the duo, but there is more, something like an earthy quality that fills your ears. It is an amazing wall of sound that a 12-string acoustic guitar, some electronics and a hammered dulcimer can produce and a sound with a shimmering, cinematic trait that easily evoke natural sceneries and can be thought as music for an imaginary documentary.
The notes inform us that the pieces are produced by editing various moments in the recording sessions: “There are edits or augmentations evident, creating (or revealing) form, in the tradition of Teo Macero’s work on In A Silent Way. (…). We overdub, we mix, we edit. We master, we distribute.”.
The vinyl album has a track on each side: 'Peridot' (side A) is a continuous flow of energy while 'Albatross' (side B) offers a more meditative approach but what really characterizes the duo is the use of hammered dulcimer as a drone instrument. True to her musical sympathies (The Spiral Joy Band, Pelt, Terry Riley – again from Meyer’s article) Jen Powers takes this instrument out of its folk roots to develop a circular expansive sound on which Rolin displays his own finger-picking style.
Many times during the years we have seen folk instruments and traditional music styles mixed up with a contemporary improvisatory approach, sometimes we have also witnessed the use of peculiar instruments and techniques just for the sake of the sound they produce and as means to produce a sound that’s new and refreshing and interesting. This is one of these cases but if you do not believe me you can judge by yourself on bandcamp:
On youtube, you can find videos of various performances in which the improvisatory element is more evident with no editing or overdubs – here for example
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