The latest release from Wolff Parkinson White is an intriguing proposition. The alias of German drummer Jochen Ruckert is put in use when radical electronic ideas need a vent and the latest album Favours and particularly the tracks chosen from that album for the Nonplace EP are pretty radical.
Opener “Bereavement”, which has singer Josh Mease on board, is a perfect case in point. The drifting vocal meanders around the bulk of the sound, the random, spacey, and boisterous bounces, the absolute opposite of the voice. Which came first I have no idea, but it feels as though maybe the vocals were sung to a guide track and then Wolff stitched the various haphazard and juddering elements together like a psychedelic quilt made of really scratchy and irritating material. It is messy and hectic, but the voice manages to ignore it and to continue its smooth tone and unruffled journey, lulling you as you try to pinpoint the bizarre sounds.
Clare Manchon‘s “When I’m In Pieces” slows down and speeds up but has the same premise, the voice feeling separate, the uncomfortable soundtrack trying to set you on edge. Her voice is lovely, as are all the voices here, but sometimes it’s hard to concentrate — although the line “You can be the funny one and I can go to pieces” made it’s way in to my brain as three or four layers of computer scree made their way around my head in a dizzying fashion. Natalie Beridze‘s “Sand” has a sultrier feel, the slinky double-tracked vocals vying with computer game noises and a bass that gamely attempts to put some kind of lid on the wild effects, while Norah Jones’s “Department Of Failure” is slower and more thoughtful; although the line “In pain I remain, what’s left will enchain me” is quite heartbreaking. Her voice has more movement and the effects are a little less pronounced and she seems to be given more chance; but when she tells you “I married in vain”, it is hard not to gulp. Pascal Le Bouef brings a kind of digital soul to “Broken Point”, his vocals a little more expressive and the rhythms steadier, and the EP ends with Desmond White‘s “Neon Faithful”, the vocals here almost angelic in their sublime delivery.The music is for low attention spans, though, and it is this odd juxtaposition that gives these tracks their power, enchanting vocals being bombarded by the scattergun effects, their difficult trajectories highlighting the smooth glide of the voice. It takes some listening, but is an extraordinary experience.
-Mr Olivetti-
