Fear Falls Burning & Theo Travis – Tonefloat sessions

1 review for Fear Falls Burning & Theo Travis – Tonefloat sessions

1. 

   Textura / Canada – 2022-11-22

   The Tonefloat Sessions, a collaborative two-track effort from flautist Theo Travis and guitar sculptor Fear Falls Burning (Dirk Serries), is even available in blue vinyl (200 copies) as well as the standard black (400 copies), and features a cover design that pays homage to the classic Blue Note era of sleeve design.
   The two musicians began by laying down the pieces in the studio with Travis extending his alto flute sounds using a customized ambitronics setup and Serries expanding on his 1976 Custom Les Paul guitar by feeding it through his trademark Ibanez effects pedals.

   Side A’s The Lamentation Returns is a slow-motion, fifteen-minute meditation that pairs the becalmed drift of Travis‘s warm flute tones with the harmonic atmospheres sculpted by Serries. Mysterious without being nightmarish, the piece exudes a sense of time-suspended peacefulness in its steady unfurl, and the lull of its rhythms suggests the near-imperceptible rise and fall of a breathing body during sleep.
   Side B’s Melancholy of the Masses is even quieter and more mournful too, as Travis‘s multi-tracked flutes meander querulously amidst the scarred ruins of Serries‘ drone setting. Though Travis‘s flute playing dominates initially, the guitarist’s sheets of industrial shimmer gradually assume greater prominence. The contrast between Travis‘s almost woodsy flute tones and the steely textures of Serries‘ guitar playing proves highly effective on this distinctive half-hour release.

   2010. Textura / Canada