The Possibility of a New Work for Aquaserge

The Possibility of a New Work for Aquaserge is the French avant-prog bands contribution to Crammeds long-running composer series Made to Measure, which has typically focused on music that could be used for other forms of media, including film, television, advertising, and performances. Earlier entries in the series included John Luries soundtracks for Jim Jarmuschs breakthrough films, as well as Yasuaki Shimizus Music for Commercials and albums by Hector Zazou, Fred Frith, Harold Budd, and many others. On this album, Aquaserge pay tribute to Giacinto Scelsi, Gyorgy Ligeti, Edgard Varese, and Morton Feldman, through a mixture of original homages and interpretations of the 20th century composers pieces. The results are distinctly Aquasergian, with some of the pieces radically altered to match the bands sensibilities, while others are more reverential to the original compositions. Vareses Un grand sommeil noir is transformed from a solemn, operatic piece into more of a fractured chanson, segueing from a cool yet fractured rhythm to more weightless sections, joined together by the dual lead vocals of Audrey Ginestet and Julien Gasc. 1768DEG.C, an original piece dedicated to Varese, is more exciting, particularly the mesmerizing section near the middle for electric guitar, woodwinds, and bass, as well as the main rhythm that the group constantly returns to. The bands homages to Scelsi and Ligeti are extended drones, the Scelsi piece is tense and at times shrill, while Nuit terrestre (a Gyorgy Ligeti) is soft and glacial, fusing the entire ensemble into what sounds like a single instrument. By contrast, the much shorter Nuit alteree (a Gyorgy Ligeti) sets the tense horns and bells to an almost New Orleans-style drum rhythm. The Feldman pieces include two versions of Only, a solo voice composition based on a Rainer Maria Wilke poem, as well as the freewheeling original Comme des carres de Feldman, a gleefully twisted noise rock improvisation based on a graphic score. Throughout the album, Aquaserge demonstrate how the pioneering techniques and ideas of the visionary composers can be adapted into contemporary avant-rock settings, and how theyve influences the bands own approaches. ~ Paul Simpson