Aboombong – asynartetic (2020)

Bandcamp

• Art music 
• Experimentalism 
• Avant-garde 
• Improvised music 
• Modern classical 
• Minimalism 
• Post-classical 

Aboombong on (pool)müstilise USA muusiku J.C Thorne'i sooloprojekt. On teada, et ta on olnud aktiivne aastakümneid; ta on pigem olnud varjuline võlur, kelle asi on jätta endast maha kunstilised helikontuurid. Kuigi ta on osaline ka seesugustes ansamblites nagu Psychic Enemies Network, ¡para!helion, The Jonny Cats, Anxiety of Silence ja veel mõnes teiseski, aga Aboombong on jätnud neist sügavaima mulje. Eks ole ka olnud huvitav jälgida projekti muutumist kümne aasta jooksul, mis algas motoorse krautroki, minimalistlike motiivide, flippertronics'it meenutava proge ja psühhedeelse šamanistliku avangardiga. Hiljem muutus muusika fokusseeritud ämbient-eksperimentideks ja moodsa klassika ilminguteks (reeglina oli see ebatavaline, st oli kas kuidagi nihestatud või sisaldas stilistiliselt veel midagi). Võib nentida, et J.C Thorne jätkab sealt, kus eelmine album "AGNOSIS" pooleli jäi. Klaverimuusika eksperimendid, mis sellel viieloolisel üllitisel on võtnud varasemaga võrreldes toorema kuju; jätkuvalt õhuline, aga nurgelisem, ümbritsetuna elektroakustilistest helieksperimentidest. Saab nautida nii tehnitsistlikku tahku – mida artist ei püüagi varjata – kui suhteliselt puhast harmoonilist väljundit, mis on esile manatud klahvpillide, metallofoni, eksootiliste trummide-kellade ja keelpillidega. Nagu ikka, on käesolev album osa mehe isikliku plaadifirma Pen & Mallet diskograafiast. Väga viis.

Aboombong – AGNOSIS (2019)

Pen & Mallet

Bandcamp

• Ethnotronica 
• World fusion 
• Ambient drone 
• Experimentalism 
• Modern classical 
• Avant-garde
• Krautrock 
• Minimalism

Comment: this batch consists of 3 tracks of different longitudes from a 21-minute one to a 10-minute and an 8-minute one. Aboombong is a project by a mystical musician J.C Thorne who is also related to such combos as Psychic Enemies Network, ¡para!helion, The Jonny Cats and Anxiety of Silence and some other groups one could find out on Pen & Mallet site. Musically aboombong is the most prominent project of him having based on mystical droning, ethnic drumming and skewed ambient progressions. However, many other stylistic elements can be found from there. Similarly to the previous ones AGNOSIS is an astounding issue by playing on iterative hypnotic rhythms of ethnic and kraut-induced motorik which are interspersed with exquisite electronics, high octave singing relied on sole and multiple voices and spatial vowel layers. One of the spans is filled in with airy progressing piano chords which ultimately develop into an immersive cathedral drone which is also suitable for listening in Christmas time. Indeed, the predominant milieu is solemn and epic as if have spent time in an old, weary cathedral (it adds some awe and a bit ghastly feeling to the mix). Top notch in 2019 and other times. No doubt about the fact at all.

Thorn – Solace Of Noise (2018)

Pen & Mallet

• Noise pop/rock 
• Avant-rock 
• Psych-rock 
• No Wave 
• Experimental rock 
• Art punk 
• Garage rock

Comment: as much as I have figured out so far some groups you could find from the site of Pen & Mallet a person called J.C. Thorne got involved in them (aboombong, Dustdevil & Crow, ¡para!helion, Psychic Enemies Network, Azwarm, Icastico). The same case is related to this 3-piece collective and 3-track release. Oh well, it is a striking artsy punk and noise pop/rock tinged No Wave release. More profoundly, you can extract much madness due to many deranged hooks, amplified noises coming from the bottom to the top, from the left to the right. It is sort of a sun-stricken yet loud rehearsal room-based issue with all the brutal energy and propulsive rock and roll optimism getting obviously inspiration from such juggernauts as MC5, Sonic Youth, Motörhead, The Stooges, and Glenn Branca. And I believe in that and the trio. In fact, it is or at least it seems to be a very simple approach but rock and roll as a predominant case of guitar music would never die. I am absolutely convinced in the fact after seeing a gig by Guns'n'Roses some weeks ago.

Choke – Eponymous EP (2009)

Pen & Mallet 

• Art pop 
• Post-grunge 
• Alternative pop/rock 
• Hardcore 
• Indie pop/rock 
• Experimental pop

Comment: Pen & Mallet involves an universe of bands and behind the musical groups is an universe of styles and genres of less and more experimental sort. With all those bands is involved a man called J. C Thorne. It is quite startling to read that J. C Thorne thinks of Choke as the most experimental band he is being involved in despite it is a relatively poppy group in comparison to others (for instance, I recommend listen to aboombong, Psychic Enemies, Dustdevil & Crow etc). The musician’s explanation is based on the approach of creating music to the band where music for the guitar-based soundscape is written by him who in fact cannot play the instrument at all (J. C Thorn is the drummer in the project). Furthermore, the other musicians have changed their roles with one another either. More concretely, I think of Alexander Orchid to be the most blatantly poppy issue on it due to those bombastic guitar riffs and David Liso`s flamboyant singing that fills the air unarguably. In fact, it is managed to the extent of chiming as an example of kitsch pop. Indeed, it is also an experimental approach. Another aspect related to the pop music scene is singing about romantic relationships and (ex)girlfriends in a doleful and even accusing manner. On the other side, the musicians like to demonstrate their teeth frequently to counterpoint mellow and softened approach. A nice example is Barcelona where the exuberant guitar line progresses into cacophonous noise. The favourite of mine is the final track Sheltering, an instance of light-hearted art pop. Browse is something of a very wicked one because in the beginning using an obscure, highly buried exploitation-alike storytelling being pointed against homosexuality and flabby behaviour (or at least something similar like that), which in the final part will be jettisoned in favour of a pummelling hardcore and technical metal blended torrent. In a nutshell, it is a mind-provoking issue.  

Once And Again – Minus Four – In Stereono (2011)

Archive.org

Pen and Mallet

/Experimental rock, Avant-garde, Improvised music, Free folk, Spoken word, New Weird America/

Comment: behind this project are the original line-up members of ¡para!helion whose miscellany of 13 pieces casts light upon some tendencies being actual in the United States at the moment or recent past. It embraces a shitloads of curious experiments in the realm of rock and folk music. It can be considered a pop music though being a distinctly peripheral one. More concretely, it spans disparate genres extending from folksy roots music to distorted guitar backed spoken word snippets and jazz and world music relied improvisations. The combo is related to such blog as Pen & Mallet which is a source to discover a lot of new bands additionally (Aboombong, Dustdevil & Crow, Blotter, Psychic Enemies Network and some more groups besides).        

Aboombong - Adumbral: Ètudes Dans Le Contrôle Imprécis (2013)

Bandcamp

• Experimentalism
• Avant-garde
• Noise
• Post-industrial
• Experimental electronica
• Ambient
• Experimental techno
• Ambient drone
• Non-music
• Epic
• Ambient noise
• Electro-acoustic
• Acousmatics

Outstanding tracks:
k1
k5
k7
k6
k10

Aboombong - Anaphora (2012)

Bandcamp

Pen & Mallet

10.0

/Ambient, Spoken word, Minimalism, Avant-garde, Soundscapes, Experimentalism, Drone, Epic/        

Comment: JC Thorne`s music is being highly appreciated at Recent music Heroes, and any release of him used to be a big event. For instance, the issues of him, Amnemonic, and Asynchronic are undoubtedly top notches of the 10s. He is an artist whose music is problematic to classify, though, the prefix "post" is adequate. Post-ambient? Post-post-rock? Post-industrial? But it is not problem on its own, of course. However, Anaphora consists of one track (having length of a hour in total) starting off with the storytelling of an old man backed up by solemn cathedral drones, slightly galloping pulsations which later will be "interfered" with metallic clatter, vague noises, and mechanical glockenspiel chords (at least it could be interpreted in that way). It seems to be the state of rest rather than music. There may drawn some parallels upon the likes of Tim Hecker, GY!BE, Loscil, Pan American, but Thorne`s soundscape is yet truly idiosyncratic and original on its own. It is formidable and majestic through its otherworldly soundscapes, and profound ideas thereby becoming part of your minds and thoughts. Like music digged out from Plato, or Heraclitus`s ideas.

aboombong - Taking Blue Mountain By Stages (2011)

Pen & Mallet
Bandcamp

9.8

/Krautrock, Ambient rock, Dark ambient, post-rock, Ambient noise, Experimental rock, Drone rock, Space rock, Crossover, Epic, Trance rock, Noise rock, Ambient, Avant-rock/

Comment: J. C. Thorne is a Seattle-based musician/unsung experimentalist who is being active for many decades and has appeared in a batch of projects. However, aboombong is his main project where he used to show up his ingenious characteristics (listen to his ten-points albums like amnemonic, and asynchronic). This time Thorne blends resonating space/krautrock-ish epic noise with more or less dark ambient-alike layers (or is it ascended into symphonic endeavours already?) and mellow yet propulsive industrial rock/avant-noise somewhat similarly to the late period of Einstuerzende Neubauten (indeed, his timbre and singing manner do resemble a little bit of Blixa Bargeld`s distinct ones). Additionally to Neubauten you can draw parallels upon the likes of Spacemen 3, Spiritualized (trance/drone rock elements), Children Of The Drone`s most cosmic incantations and even Tim Hecker`s borealic landscapes. It is longing and powerfully appealing at the same time. Ultimately, if you discover J.C Thorne`s art for yourselves the history will (partly) be re-written.