Review
Livimorket & Sequences
Voidness

Sunyata (2011) Bob

Livimorket & Sequences – Voidness cover artwork
Livimorket & Sequences – Voidness — Sunyata, 2011

Do you know why I find collaborative efforts so appealing in musical and other such sonic arenas (besides that they signal more work by artists that I follow / collect / obsess over)? There is an element of wonder and anticipation surrounding what exactly the final work will sound like once either collaborators or sets of collaborators work their respective magick on the sonic cauldron which they might be stewing; hence, my eagerness at hearing Voidness upon the announcement of its impending existence.

In truth, Voidness is a just under sixty minutes of dark foreboding atmosphere spread out over four sides of two cassette tapes packaged in a handmade construction; there are ceaseless drones and a sonic bed of what seems like an unspeakable horror sitting on the cusp of ear shot waiting to crush you with whatever fear that you may have (like any great Lovecraftian nightmare that this work seemingly soundtracks), but there is another level not quite ominous but rather like a grim resignation that is aurally brought by a guitar that plots its own course through the sea of atmosphere (at times Voidness also reminds me of the soundtrack to the claustrophobic Soderbergh remake of Solaris, which is not so much of a stretch as there is a definite “narrative” progression that is evident in Voidness). Listening to what Livimorket & Sequences exposes in an extremely subtle manner seemingly touches on a host of human emotion ranging from drone affecting despair to atmospheric suffocating loneliness to a deep dread, and while all of these are genuine feelings that can be evoked by Voidness, it would cheapen the work by summarily describing the piece with only what could be deemed as platitudes attempting to describe negative emotional responses as these tapes are assuredly a hauntingly beautiful listening experience (of course one could say that I am simply seeing the beauty in the darkness but I would mostly disagree with that sentiment).

On aspect of this collaboration that is very difficult to hear most of the time is where one of the two entities influences the music more that the other (though on Side D, or Side B of tape two depending on how you look at it, the heavy guitar may come from Livimorket moreso than that of Sequences) and perhaps that is the best indication of why this collaboration is so successful, the lines between the artists are so blurred that it becomes a creative force unto itself; Voidness is seriously great, and you need to get it.

8.0 / 10Bob • September 12, 2011

Livimorket & Sequences – Voidness cover artwork
Livimorket & Sequences – Voidness — Sunyata, 2011

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