The collaboration between Blk w/Bear‘s JS Adams, Mark Kluzek of The Doomed Bird Of Providence and Katie English of Isnaj Dui is an unfolding flower that is using unusual practices to provide unique perspectives.
The previous release was a glorious smidge at a little over seven minutes, but here, taking advantage of a device called the BELLASTRA, Bellightning have expanded to a half-hour album filled with minute-long sketches, each inhabiting its own little world. The BELLASTRA is a random prompt generator that uses found sounds to guide the players, with each of the trio adding electronics, accordion and flute respectively.
What follows is a journey into shadow and sunlight that, due to the diminutive nature of the pieces, is constantly moving on, searching in dark corners then opening up shutters to better highlight the esoteric findings. Brief moments are captured across the album and the pieces move from abstract snippets of disturbed ambience to song ideas compressed into a matter of breaths; so for every droning accordion groan and industrial clatter there is a submerged scale bobbing with a receding tide or a deeply resonant piano in a locked room. They capture a brief moment of a busy station; but then you will be slowly awakening in an Indian temple before creatures attempt conversation against an ever-shifting backdrop. The willingness to go with whatever the random generator suggests means that the variety is extraordinary: so a distorted prismatic vision of Euro house nudges up against the internal workings of a clock let loose or where the accordion circles like a hungry bird the flute shadows it, all mysterious and beguiling .The background textures are essential in transporting the listener and offering a fresh setting for each snippet, be it a heavy train-like shuffle that encompasses a fuller sound, as if wanting to expand into something longer; or some heavy breathing chasing the accordion into unknown territory. Of the two main instruments, the flute seems to be the one that shifts shape most, disguising itself with gauze and smoke, while the accordion is more vibrant, its haunted fairground jaunt tempered in places by an enforced solitude.
BELLASTRA (London) contains a dizzying array of ideas and due to its compact nature never overstays its welcome. It is very easy to just press play immediately and see what else you can discover in the myriad folds. the album is a lovely thing on limited hand-made CD and is also available on download; so head over to Bandcamp and allow yourself to be smitten.-Mr Olivetti-
