Raglani - Classically Sprained [arbor]

In spite of several recommendations from trusted opinions this is the first release by Joe Raglani that I’ve bought. Possibly it was the various mentions of voice, his singing on the releases that put me off. But one of the best things about cassette releases is you don’t need to invest in a limited edition vinyl-only release to test run an artist you’re intrigued about but not convinced by. (Have you never heard of downloads? I hear you cry).

I’m hard pushed to find illuminating comparisons for the music on this release, it is lazy, not even very fitting to compare Raglani with Emeralds but the one thing to be gained from doing this is to note that there is a density on this tape, an accretion layer upon layer of material generating as much sound as many a trio would do from a single pair of hands and without losing the cohesion. The first ten minutes of side A is pure synthesizer work-out, sounding much more like a lost early Cluster track than any contemporary players I can call to mind. Beginning with a gentle fizz, repeated fragments of melody shift in and out focus atop a tidal growl they float momentarily on the surface as the undercurrent grows, drags them under and they struggle up for air, becoming more frenetic and choppy as the side progresses, eventually washing us up on a sunny beach where an impromptu ensemble plays us out with slipping loops of melodica, sitar, bells and guitar.

Side B picks up with the same troop in more mournful mood, joined by Raglani’s echo-laden voice and catapulted synth tones descending overhead. My misgivings about his singing were misplaced. Here, forming the melodic centre of the piece for five-odd minutes it sits beautifully among the other sounds. Winding down into the most spacious part of the tape, we are left with drawn-out flickering fuzz and occasional plucked guitar all dissipating into a field recorded summer park scene of feet-crunched leaves, before quickly picking up into a maelstrom of synth gurglings and melodica. Although Joe Raglani tends to be associated with noise labels, that would seem to be less an apt description of his music that a sign that the noise clique is becoming increasingly dispersed across a much wider range of fringe music than has previously been the case, something to be applauded. I’d think.

Once again sold out at source, but available, for the time being, here or here.