Through the Cardial Window

Like labelmates Growing, Keith Fullerton Whitman, and Greg Davis, Greg Kowalsky finds his footing firmly entrenched inside the drones of prepared guitar, melodica, and other instrumentation. And like these aforementioned artists, he excels in making the proverb "less is more" ring bright and true. Under the guidance of Fred Frith at Mills College, Kowalsky does his alma mater proud by pushing electronics and organic instruments together, compressing them until the distinction between the two is blurred. However, unlike most compositions in this vein, Kowalsky's ideas are comparatively succinct. He doesn't overreach or expand too much on his ideas, trimming the fat away only to reveal the true meat and bones of a piece. If only more discs in this genre were like that.