REVIEWS

HINGES
"David Barnes - Hinges: When I first popped this one in the opening track, "Chainsaw in my Pocket" made me think "Ahh - Išve got this one pigeonholed. Sort of Nine Inch Nails-ish Industrial pop." But as the song progressed it started to sound more like a parody of NIN than a me-too. Then came "Hub of Society" featuring intricate percussion, a funky bass line and two interweaving sustained guitars and I knew I was way off. This one brought back memories of Talking Heads "Remain in Light." What we have here is a varied mix of Industrial-Ambient-Prog-Experimental-Rock created and presented with marvelous depth and clarity, but most of all creativity. The title track explores the sonic possibilities and musical properties of squeaky door hinges with surprising results. The instrumentation elsewhere is equally intriguing. Barnes isnšt the first person to use such items as hubcaps, kitchen utensils, bike horns, bike spokes, sinks, PVC pipes (it goes on and on), but he treats these objects as real instruments. No indiscriminate bashing and clanking here. Everything is played and recorded with great skill. The "real" instruments - guitars, basses, didgeridu (played by guest Daniel Orlansky) are equally well handled. And if youšve ever been curious about those weird gadgets Q. R. Ghazala has invented, the "Incantor", a modified Texas Instruments Speak and Math with circuit bending is used on several tracks. Check out the Barnzstuff website for information on his other releases and projects. And get this tape!"

- Greg Mathieson, Gajoob


SHING! - Bastard Finders
Bastard Finders is a musical project headed up by percussionist David Barnes. Three of the tracks on the album are rock-based; most of the others are atmospheric in one way or another.The title comes from a repeated sound used in the first track, "62 Shing." In this hard rocking number, the sound of 62 piece of metal being hitsimultaneously(multi-tracked) is used as the counterpoint to the drumming, and the wailing of Buchla analogsynthesizer and mussets, which sound to me like some kind of reed instrument. Also rock-based in the second track, "The David Byrne Peyote Ritual,"with vocals over an interesting analog synth and percucssion duet. After the joyous insentivity of "Anger Phase", (Track 3), comes the very sensitive and atmospheric "Prelude to the Thunderstorm," with Barnes on piano and delays, and Charles Cohen providing some extremely moving synthesizing playing. Mostly a drone piece, interest here is not so much rythemic or melodic as it is timbral, with long sculped clouds of harmonics drifting around and about each other. Also in the same category of interesting soundscapes are " A Ship Abandoned " and "Spoons," from the second side. "Ship" was presumably inspired by the low intense "fog-horn" sound Barnes' toilet produced. All manner of bell and water-like sounds are mixed together over the bass of this wonderful sustained low roar. "Spoons," played by Barnes and Steve Coxe, is a mix of acoustic guitar loops, Indonesian gender, synthesizer, circular saw blades, and two enviromental tapes:a gift shop in Philadelphia, and an unidentified Egyptian singer. The gift shop tape becomes the enviroment in which all the other sounds take place. The result are haunting. In contrast, "Gender Experiment" is full of rythemic life. Barnes here plays a very lively and precise rythem on three balafons and bass drum. This forms a bed into which Charles Cohen, Glenden Jones, and Kevin Murphy lay bending, shrieking glides from synthesizer, violin and trumpet. "Bastard Finders" is a liverly and attractive collection of contrasting pieces. I look forward to hearing more from David Barnes and his cohorts.

- Warren Burt, Experimental Musical Instruments


SHING! - Bastard Finders
What really makes or breaks an experimental recording anyway? I'm sure it's different for listeners than it is for those who created the sounds. Is it strange sounds or techniques? Is it finding some sort of inspiration for your own recordings? Do you expect an experimental recording to entertain you in the same way as a non-experimental work might? When it's all said and done, I think experimental works are the most indivdual of musical statements; perhaps even more personal. And if the latter statement were used to judge this work by David Barnes' Bastard Finders, I'd say it passes with colors flying. Lots of different sonic avenues taken throughout this tape, including multi-tracked percussion, analog synthetics, noise, odd sound sources (plumbing, headphone feedback, tin pans, sparrow samples, etc.) and more. And while Shing! is certainly explorational, it's also quite accessible as well.

- Bryan Baker,Gajoob


Fear of Icicles
This 1993 release serves as a compilation of sorts for multi-faceted musician/composer David Barnes. The first five cuts reflect the kind of rock-based band style which Barnes performs with his band Puncture Project. These cuts incorporate trumpet and flute on separate occasions and are otherwise decent songs that take some chances with standard rock form. Most of the instruments are performed by Barnes. "Octet For Eight People" fits more into an experimental classical category and was commissioned by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and performed in 1993 at the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors festival as well as other venues. The piece also features percussion instruments designed by Barnes out of industrial materials such as PVC tubing, wood, threaded rods, springs, circular saw blades, etc. The "Kirby Qitet" pieces was composed by Barnes during residency in a cabin at the Mac Dowell Colony. Barnes' neo-classical work often brings his modern influences to bear, infusing elements of dissonance along with his rock trappings. I like the range in this piece a lot. The final cut (split into two segments) is also the title piece of the CD. It features Barnes solo beginning with Balinese xylophone and other percussive instruments and guitar. It's somewhat reminiscient of his solo work with hammer dulcimer at this point. However, the interest or focus of this work seems to be its decent into what I see as a destructionist underground Japanese improv noise guitar influence. Somehow Barnes is able to pull it off without startling you it's more entropy than big bang in reverse. Next up on Barnes' agenda is a new tape release of experimental projects which is definitely something to look forward to from this ever evolving artist.

- Bryan Baker,Gajoob


Adult Puppet Show
This is a split tape of sorts. One side is made up of music like David Barnes made with his band Puncture Project: energetic rock, complete with powerful trumpet melodies (believe it or not, it works). Side two of the tape is all instrumental and very diverse. Barnes starts things off with a piece performed on the hammer dulcimer. Fans of the instrument MUST get this tape. And for the remainder of this side, Barnes treats us to quite a few styles, inculding some Mexican party music and some percussive World Music. This side reminds me a lot of Bob Zanderšs work and is just as highly recommended.

- Bryan Baker,Gajoob


More is Better
"One piece band, David Barnes, sounding a heckuva lot better than most wimpy college bands. Tight instrumental playing, eccentric song-writing, he's an excellent musician, especially on drums and guitar, and does astounding things with his voice. He is an uncanny lyric-writer, and his voice conveys the essence of the song itself. You know, the way David Bowie used to do. Exciting!"

- Dan Fioretti, Sound Choice


Concerts
"I was more impressed with the efforts of David Barnes. His evocative music sounds like middle European expressionism with some Dvorak and enhanced by percussive effects. Barnes invents his own (percussion) instruments to use in conjunction with traditional (string) instruments"
- Lesley Valdes, Philadelphia Inquirer

"Thanks for coming to Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors with your wonderful musical inventions. The audience, about 800 people, enjoyed every minute of your work, as did I. You represented the artists of Philadelphia and the Pew Fellowships extremely well. It was a fascinating concert."
- Jenneth Webster, Program Director - Lincoln Center

Go Back