Huge Fluid Freedom

Huge Fluid Freedom is a perfect title for Sean Smith’s 2011 offering. It describes these four compositions (which collectively stretch over half an hour) and how Smith freed himself from the stylistic confines of his previous instrumental acoustic folk. “I Know You Are Tired, but Come. This Is the Way.” begins as Smith creates a howling drone with what sounds like a violin bow swept across electric guitar strings. This is almost immediately interrupted by erratically angular post-rock rhythms; then when acoustic guitars finally seep in, they sound exotic and ancient. They're accompanied by continuously buzzing cymbals and female vocal wailing in the style of tamil oppari (South Indian grieving songs). “The Real” follows, with notes that explore instrumental doom metal topographies. Smith backpedals to his dexterous acoustic antics on “Ourselves When We Are Real” before closing with the title track: exquisite psychedelia where new sonic boundaries are successfully charted. This time around, Smith has much more in common with Ben Chasny than John Fahey.