throuRoof paints his work with a language that bleeds full spectrum. From the sun drenched fields of the opener Birdism to the solemn blue depths of the accompanying title track. Feathers & Blood is a work that is subtle and sophisticated, made by impressively restrained means that engulf the listener in a landscape of wide-eyed beauty.
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throuRoof – Birdism (excerpt) by //cae-sur-a//
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throuRoof’s Feathers & Blood cassette seems designed to evoke deep-seeded emotions from listeners that attune themselves to the graceful arrangements and hypnotic structures. Like a psychic depth charge, this cassette aims to blast open the murkier contents of the mind so that they can be analyzed closer in a conscious state.
Released by the Rochester label Cae-Sur-A, this cassette features two tracks, one per side, each twenty minutes in length. Both tracks are drone-based constructions that feature harmonic overlays punctuated with tones that are sustained to the limits of perception, reminiscent of the La Monte Young school of drone. And like those classic droners, throuRoof’s brand of drone leans more toward the transcendental, as opposed to the academic.
The A-side is “Birdism,” a loosely woven and organic 20-minute piece that is built on extremely simple tones with elegant phrasing that ebbs and flows like the separate breathing patterns of two people in bed and fast asleep. Punctuated with the flapping of wings and other assorted bird noises, “Birdism” creates an eerie dream-like feel that leads the listener to believe that bird sounds are not meant to be understood literally, but rather in the syntax of dream symbolism.
On the flip side is the title track where strings give way to synths and the birds are replaced with a submerged undercurrent-like beat that takes the entire track to fully emerge. This is a sprawling, more electronically based composition that Foxy Digitalis correctly described as “some sort of minimalist drone-pop.”
Put together, both sides of Feathers & Blood make up an exquisitely crafted cassette that demands repeated listens. – Jamie Moore, The Upstate Soundscape
KZSU Cassettes Top Tapes of 2011
Italian-based producer throuRoof takes his name from the flowing, transient sensation of drifting through the ceilings and into the realms of the imagination—leaving reality and slowly sublimating into the world of dreams. We enjoyed listening to his Tarot Session a few months back, so we already had high expectations when we opened up the package from Rochester-based imprint Cae-Sur-A.
Side A greets the listener with a warm embrace—gentle nascent hums of accordion and the chirps of birds muted by the sounds of swaying grasses and vibrato string melodies. Certainly not entirely synthetic–and not yet all the way foundsound/field recording, the track flirts with both and settles on a happy medium that manages to concentrate the best of the two worlds and blend them together in a hybridity of magical realism.
The title track, spanning the entirety of Side B, revolves around similar notions of nature, but seems to muse on the tangibility of mortality. How does physicality exist as a player in the greater continuum? How does existence depend on the fragile, delicate foundation of body? These questions remain unanswered, but resonate deeply throughout the golden buzzy writing of electronics.
Thanks to Cae-Sur-A for sending this tape our way. Be sure to also check out the music video for Side A’s “Birdism.” – David L., KZSU Cassettes
Two sidelong 20-minute drones with a bird theme. “Birdism” is the first side, and begins with bird chirping sounds, then adds a few layers of violin, which are looped and very slowly altered. For a long time it seems like nothing is being added or changed, but eventually a humming is audible underneath, and it keeps growing. I wasn’t sure if it was my tape player at first or if it was an element of the music, but it was obviously part of the music when it became close to overwhelming the rest of the music. It also took a while to realize that the bird sounds from the beginning were still continuing, and as the music dies down, the sound of wings flapping even becomes part of the composition. “Feathers & Blood” on side B is another slow build, but seems to be more intense and go to greater extremes. It starts with ghostly droning, then layers in something that sounds like a huge swarming mass of distant, metallic acoustic guitars, and loops this over the drone. Very gradually, a bass element emerges, and even starts to become some sort of bassline. This becomes even further grounded when even more rhythmic elements are applied, and it ends up sounding like some sort of minimalist drone-pop. As with the first side, the bass element keeps increasing to the point of being almost overwhelming, before the elements gradually fade out. Both sides require a lot of patience, but are rewarding, although I easily prefer the second side to the first. – Paul Simpson, Foxy Digitalis
[...] by the Rochester label Cae-Sur-A, this cassette features two tracks, one per side, each twenty minutes in length. Both tracks are [...]