One

Already known for his song-based project Remora — and as the owner of the label Silber — Brian John Mitchell, with his first Small Life Form release, introduces listeners to a very different side to his music. One consists of seven instrumental drone pieces ranging from contemplative to noisy and disturbed. The liner notes state that the tracks are designed so they may all be listened to simultaneously while looped. Doing so will create an ever-changing piece (since the tracks have irregular lengths) akin to a sound installation. But chances are you don't have seven CD players at home, so you will most likely listen to the tracks one at a time. These are fine drones, varied in colors and textures, occasionally a bit blurry and shy on stereo dynamics, but otherwise nicely recorded. Mitchell plays melodica, trumpet, trombone, Chinese cymbal, floor tom, and an electric wind organ. "Horns" is the strongest drone: rich, complex, and in the noisy end of the spectrum, it grabs you by the solar plexus, while quieter pieces like "Small," "Cymbal," or "Golden" simply create an atmosphere. In "Organ," Mitchell reveals the already complex harmonics and air fluctuations of the electric wind organ by playing one long note at a time. "Melodica" is a beautiful piece that retains the characteristics of its namesake instrument, even though it is carried by a pulsing magma of frequencies that sound nothing like it. ~ François Couture, Rovi