When listening to Dialogue’s debut LP, it’s tempting to ask what came first—the title or the concept. If anything, abstractions seems a bit too on the nose, an efficient if simplistic summation of the record’s avant-garde aesthetic and methodology. If the motivating force behind the release is to reshape and re-contextualize existing works—in this case the ambient classical compositions found on Alexa Lima’s self-titled EP—it does so by deconstructing and distorting them until they’re mere shadows of the originals.
By pairing two of the city’s most forward-thinking composers in Lima and WAKE mastermind Keith William, Dialogue has quickly entrenched itself as an experimental powerhouse. But rather than focus on crafting new works, the duo have chosen to introduce themselves by putting Lima’s sparse, melancholic sketches through an industrial noise grinder. Utilizing drum machines, turntables, effect pedals, and various synths, the pair weave a textured tapestry of sound that is by turns harsh, dense, and meditative.
But while abstractions offers a more aggressive and abrasive interpretation of Lima’s music, by several orders of magnitude, it’s equally critical to note what the record doesn’t do; namely, strip the songs of their deep emotional resonance. While much of the album’s atmosphere feels bleak and isolating, it never wanders into cold, mechanical misanthropy. Meanwhile, tracks like “v,” “famsa,” and “funeral at sea”—in short, those songs that more directly invoke Lima’s wistful piano playing—arouse an array of warm-blooded passions that help keep the record from fluttering off into the dark ether. abstractions may not have quite the aura of sadness and contemplative curiosity as the original, but it’s no less human or bereft of possibility.
abstractions is available now on digital and limited edition split cassette via Underground Field Recordings.
Dialogue is presenting a live stream tape release tonight which can viewed via their Facebook page. The performance begins at 9 p.m.
More Info
Bandcamp: dialogueatl.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @dialogueatl
Instagram: @dialogueatl
Twitter: @dialogueatl