This is the information age, so we've been told, and with mastery of information comes mastery of communication. Right now, virtually any piece of information can be transferred from any place on the planet to any other place instantaneously. Less direct methods become outdated, and therefore obsolete. Morse code is one of these outdated methods. Whereas nearly anyone can use a cellular phone or e-mail, it requires time, patience, and training to decipher even a sentence of Morse code.
Brokeback have chosen to name their second and latest record, Morse Code in the Modern Age: Across the Americas, after this particular method of antiquated communicative technology, and it seems to fit, somehow. It's not a literal thing; there are no Morse code sequences hidden anywhere on the record. But the entire work seems to exude a lack of clarity and directness. It's the feeling of driving in open country, listening to AM radio, and listening to only static broken occasionally by purely gorgeous music from an unknown source, which promptly fades away again.
Chicago-based post-rocker Douglas McCombs, on hiatus from Tortoise, Eleventh Dream Day, and Pullman, is the original and once sole member of Brokeback. On 1999's Field Recordings from the Cook County Water Table, he approached his new project from a solo standpoint, creating simple, often concise compositions around his bass, the contributions from outside collaborators, and the found, ambient sounds of his environment. On this record, however, Noel Kupersmith of the Chicago Underground Trio and Quartet has officially joined the project, and the difference in sound is ultimately striking.
The first two tracks on Morse Code in the Modern Age seem as if they could drift endlessly. "Lives of the Rhythm Experts" begins with a Yo La Tengo-style sudden organ-- which, appropriately enough, happens to be YLT bassist James McNew's donation to the 16-minute track. The organ drone reverberates and hovers aimlessly throughout, never even accidentally stumbling upon a melody or a structure, as a subdued electronic stutter provides the rhythmic base. Kupersmith's drum kit fades in and out with restrained clatter until it finds a steady rhythm all too briefly, only to once again collapse and disappear.
McCombs and Kupersmith are both bassists, but on this track, as on the rest of the record, McCombs uses his six-string electric bass for more melodic purposes, and Kupersmith's acoustic double bass handles most of the low end. They remain absent for the majority of "Lives of the Rhythm Experts" until the 13-minute mark, at which point the humming organ and electronics fade away to reveal McCombs' beautiful, silvery melodies and Kupersmith's anchoring support.
"Flat Handed and On the Wing" comes off as an improvisational piece built on Kupersmith's wandering double bass, with the exception of a brief bassless coronet interlude. McCombs' bass is unrecognizable, ostensibly treated with effects that resemble oceanic sonar. Joey Burns of Calexico contributes trembling, echoing electric guitar that appears sporadically within the track's 12 minutes. The song rambles and almost begins to flounder towards its end, until Burns' shimmering, strummed guitar saves the piece, creating the record's clearest and most radiant moment.
After these long, largely meandering compositions, Morse Code in the Modern Age seems to end rather abruptly, with an effective but poorly placed instrumental cover of Roy Orbison's "Running Scared" that runs just under 2\xBD minutes. Featuring both members of Calexico this time (Burns and John Convertino), as well as the choral vocals of Stereolab's Mary Hansen, this traditional rendition utilizes McCombs' capable imitation of a baritone guitar lead with his six-string bass. It's short, sweet, and to the point, and would be one of the record's highlights if it hadn't been placed with such desultory works as the previous two.
The disc includes an enhanced, visual portion to be viewed on your computer, which features videos of the first two tracks created by Dutch Harbor filmmaker Braden King. "Lives of the Rhythm Experts" is accompanied by images of South American villages, and "Flat Handed and On the Wing" coexists with footage from the wing of an airplane. The videos seem to compliment the tracks nicely, but after time, they become boring, as these pieces generally lend themselves to the background and the audio/visual experience doesn't hold enough interest to maintain the full attention of the viewer.
Like the subject of its title, Morse Code in the Modern Age seems inefficient, and involves a heightened level of patience to decipher. The first listen is rewarding and, at times, fascinating, involving full recognition of Brokeback's incorporations of various layers and structures of sound and effects. But with future listens, the static moments become too static, and the majority of the time is spent waiting impatiently for those glimmering moments that you know are there, when the beautiful music comes through the white noise and then just fades away again.
