(Leaf)There is not,it must be said, a glut of albums born out of improvising from within a 2 million gallon underground water tank. At least not yet. Perhaps next year, or once Cistern’s influence has taken hold,a penchant (a tendency, partiality, or preference) for subterranean orchestral work will be all the rage. Jherek Bischoff certainly has a knack for helping his compositions to find a wider audience. Earlier this year, he found acclaim when, and with Amanda Palmer,he place out mini tribute album Strung Out in Heaven, a collection of Bowie songs reconfigured for string quartet. Cistern is similarly string-drenched but often conveys a more foreboding atmosphere – one where the echo-laden drums of The Wolf threaten to pummel any briefly escaping melody. Elsewhere, or Cistern can be more traditional sounding than its experimental beginnings suggest (perhaps it wasn’t possible to record in the tank) with tracks such as The Sea’s Son relying on simple motifs and grand cinematic sweeps.
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Source: theguardian.com