Dave Harrington - Before This There Was One Heart But A Thousand Thoughts

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  • Dave Harrington is Nicolas Jaar's partner in Darkside. He's the one who gives the group its bluesy sting and its spacey soar, which are held in place by Jaar's more traditional songcraft. Before This There Was One Heart But A Thousand Thoughts is an ambitious 20 minutes that jumps from Reichian guitar layering to buzzing techno. In other words, a whole lot of ideas that wouldn't fit on a Darkside record. Ambition isn't much without focus, however. It's hard not to be swayed by the opening array of sweetly singing guitars on the first piece, but once they snuff themselves out the track waddles into a ponderous upright bass solo that feels pompous and out of place. A touch of Fennesz-style majesty finishes the suite, as beautiful licks of melody contrast with a wall of distortion behind them. The second track develops more naturally, starting with an unsettling passage of rattling metal that burns off into static, before the noises return as a lurching techno beat. Think Pan Sonic performing in an elegant concert hall. Bringing us back to the realm of classicist composition that Darkside sometimes wrestles with, a schmaltzy sax solo finishes the track with very little subtlety. It's a histrionic end to a showy, sometimes overblown release.
  • Tracklist
      01. One-All // A Thousand Times // Multiple And Mirror 02. Flash // All-One
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