REVIEWS

Savage Ideal
Ghosts Dance Lightly on the Puncheon Floor

Buried Electric / Connexion Bizarre

Posted: Saturday, January 09, 2010
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

In this time of digital saturation, it's rare to find an artist so dedicated to utilizing the tools of old to create a sound that can only be described as ageless. Such is the case with Christian Wright as demonstrated by his second release as Savage Ideal. Ghosts Dance Lightly on the Puncheon Floor takes his analog experimental approach further than he had gone with his other band Bajskorv, focusing primarily on the construction of decrepit sonic landscapes through layers of synthesized ambience and found sounds, with just a few samples thrown in for good measure. Beginning with a thunderous rumble that segues into a deep voice announcing to the listener "This is the apocalypse," no statement could be truer as "Song of the Saw" kicks us into an industrialized tapestry of noisy beats and subdued bass lines, giving rise to ghostly ambience that not only could play soundtrack to visions of the end of the world beneath the hooves of the four horsemen, but also signifies a greater sense of melody than could be found in Wright's past work. This trend continues in "It Always Starts with Land" with its dark reverberating pianos complemented by slightly out-of-tune synth accompaniment and the rustling sounds of what could be rats or roaches lurking behind the decaying walls of sound. The minimalism of the title track with its simple but lush melody is also noteworthy, as is "They Take Their Stand" where a metallic percussive loop and nightmarish groans of noise underscore a dark melodic progression that is quite simply a harrowing display of dark ambient beauty. What is interesting to note is that the album is based on field recordings made by Wright during a month long sojourn into the Appalachians, the concept revolving around the dark corners of southern history, which apparently inspired the incorporation of folk elements that make themselves clear as somber acoustic guitars echo and strum through "Auraria" and "Apparently Heroic Wars." Muffled samples of off-key whistles and native humming crawl gently into the mix of the former track while a sullen vocal reminiscent of an old Jack Lawrence recording hovers above the guitars in the latter, the discordant synths adding a flavor of slight dissonance and discomfort to make the track even eerier. The guitar loop in "To Spike the Slabs of Eternity" is given an added weight by the bursts of noisy glitches, the square synth refrain, and a steadily rising beat that makes the track just a tad danceable. With Worms of the Earth's Dan Barrett appearing on three tracks as well as being responsible for the mastering, and given Wright's previously much more abrasive outings with Bajskorv, it's rather surprising to find his work in Savage Ideal has taken a turn toward crisper arrangements and more solidified structures of sound, albeit as grim and morbid as ever. Ghosts Dance Lightly on the Puncheon Floor is a dense and dark album and thanks to tracks like "Coffin Man" and the hidden track would seem to only appeal to those with an ear for the macabre recesses of human experience. However, if one can withstand the bleak visions that these strange atmospheres and sounds conjure within the unprepared mind, the scattered traces of melody and actual musicianship at play could provide a glimmer of hope in the face of unconscionable despair.