A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music

Some years ago, a French label called Metamkine, perhaps one of the most legendary imprints in the annals of the history of experimental music, produced a run of 3″ compact discs which they titled “Cinéma pour l’oreille.” Some of the artists included in this series included Michel Chion, Christian Zanési and Jim O’Rourke, before he went on to be a big rock star with Sonic Youth. The format is perfect for composers who wish to feature one or two brilliant pieces in a 20-minute EP rather than to stuff an album with fluff. Kyle Bobby Dunn, who has been reviewed before in this site, continues a tradition of making a recording where less is indeed more. The two pieces featured, Dissonant Distances and Senium III, work well with the concept of ‘Film for the Ears’. Both pieces are soundtrack-worthy. No, I don’t mean in the bombastic, Hans Zimmer-esque style (or even in the style of former Industrial music icon Graeme Revell). The pieces fit well with those classic black & white films from Germany circa 1922-1932, arguably the golden age of film from that country. There is a nightmareish hue to Dunn’s textures, giving one a slightly hair-raising listening experience. It is a masterful work that leaves one wanting far more, which, I suppose, is the point of these EP releases.

You can hear samples of Rural Route No. 2 here.

Kyle Dunn’s music seems to be less about music as commonly understood and more about how one can color a mood with sound. There is certainly a method to Dunn’s style, as though it may well be improvised, it flows in beautiful order much in the manner of spilled honey rather than a river. A simple closing of the eyes is enough to put a listener into a Martian landscape, something many of us who loved sci-fi movies feel cheated out of.

Tracks from his two-disc release, A Young Person’s Guide To Kyle Bobby Dunn, he demonstrates a mastery of organic ambient music that harkens back to the days of Kosmische Musik from Germany.

In his piece Empty Gazing, there seems to be a spacious interplay between what sounds like an oboe and synthetic drones. Bonaventure’s Finest Hour gives the mental image of the venerable saint at work in his office. Sets of Four (Its Meaning Is Deeper Than Its Title Implies) pleasantly jars one’s listening experience with piano in a way that would remind one of Achim Roedelius’ work in Cluster or on his solo albums. The standout piece of this compendium of Dunn’s work, There is No End To Your Beauty, drones and whistles, meandering in a way that gives a feeling of ‘cool’ rather than ‘cold’ or ‘frigid’.

To hear samples of Dunn’s work, check out his Myspace site. To purchase his albums in America or Britain, click here for Darla Records and Distribution or here for Low Point Distribution.