Amid the Noise is the third full-length from Brooklyn-based percussion ensemble So Percussion, and it arrives following their rigorous 2004 re-working of Steve Reich's minimalist landmark Drumming. On that recording, So Percussion showcased their startling technique and almost inhuman precision, as they deftly translated Reich's nine-part score as a quartet with the aid of a few crafty overdubs. For their latest work, the group has progressed much further into the world of electronics, so much so that on casual listen one might not even immediately identify the origins of this material. Constructed predominantly with tuned percussives-- bowed marimba, crotales, prepared pipes and vibes-- and meticulously programmed by group member Lawson White, the album is certainly no thundering stampede. Instead it effortlessly recalls-- often to a pristine fault-- the mannered post-rock prevalent in the immediate wake of Tortoise's TNT, skating without a ripple between classical minimalism, hushed gamelan textures, and ambient electronics.
Originally convened in the academic setting of a Yale graduate program, So Percussion are on Amid the Noise trimmed to the trio of White, Adam Sliwinski, and Jason Treuting, with guests Grey McMurray and Masaru Takahashi adding guitar on several tracks. All of the album's 12 pieces were written by Treuting, with an apparent emphasis on exploring the tonal possibilities of the group's idiosyncratic cache of instruments. The parameters of their percussive arsenal were here expanded to include such items as wood planks, an ethernet port, toy piano, and-- naturally-- duct tape. Yet the precise sound sources on softened tracks like the opening "June" or the quietly bristling "White" have been left rather obscured by Lawson White's various digital embellishments. A jittery, near-dubstep rhythm underscores "Work Slow Life", with an anxious, out-of-step melody supplied by grainy interjections from the vibes, giving the track something of the blinkering, off-kilter pulse of a malfunctioning laser printer. Live drums provide "What the Hell" with the album's most robust cadence, its limber frame overlaid with gauzy hums of Isotope 217-style guitar and Fender Rhodes.
Included with Amid the Noise is a DVD of accompanying films by Jenise Treuting, each of which consists of a static camera shot of a Manhattan or Tokyo street scene. These short films serve as an effective visual metaphor for each of the album's tracks, as what might initially appear to be an inert or vacant frame can be seen, upon closer examination, to be teeming with continuous quiet activity. This DVD proves to be one of those rare instances where the addition of the visual element can actually help focus the listener's attention on the music's subtle detailing, rather than distract from it-- a fact that unfortunately does So Percussion no favors when the album is heard on its own. As can be typical of such low-pulse ambient instrumental works, Amid the Noise often requires a daunting portion of the listener's attention to avoid wholly seeping off unseen into the floorboards. This is particularly true towards album end, as So Percussion's irregular calendar of tracks ("July", "March", "February") blur together in a tangle of high-glossed repetition.
And while it's a difficult theory to prove, it could certainly be argued that the late ‘90s hyper-abundance of just such over-fussy, refined post-rock helped fuel the subsequent countervailing movement toward more unruly and organic forms of avant-noise, techno, garage rock and free-folk. Lovely though this album can be, too long spent gazing upon its placid surfaces could be enough to convince most listeners that it's not yet time to let that cycle reverse itself too radically. Perhaps here So Percussion have proven able to function at a high level Amid the Noise, but hopefully in the future they'll find a way to allow a healthier level of ambient noise to penetrate and nourish their tranquil conservatory-bred creations.
