Water Still Flows

Water Still Flows is the fourth long-player from multi-instrumentalist and sound sculptor Michael Rich Ruth; its his second for Third Man. Ruth plays guitars, bass, synths, and handles the sampling. His session players include drummer Reuben Gingrich, psychedelic harpist Mikaela Davis, saxophonist Sam Que (who appears on five tracks, Jarad Steiner appears on the final cut), pedal steel player Spencer Cullum, violinist Patrick MGonigle, and Travis Vance, who plays fretless bass on the last cut. Ruths reputation for labyrinthine ambient and dark ambient is well founded. Water Still Flows alters that profile without abandoning it. The album was composed while touring for two years. During breaks, hed record experimental drones that provided impressions of fully fleshed compositions. He also got immersed in the recordings of black and doom metal from Carcass, Obituary, Darkthrone, Boris, Earth, and Sleep. In addition, he acquired many vintage fuzz pedals and unusual amplifiers, and learned how to multi-track down-tuned guitars, combining their sounds with samples, synths, and sequencers. He sent his recorded ideas to his collaborators to figure out their own parts. Ruths compositional method involves casting in the dark for inspiration and not telling his musicians what to play. Individually and collectively, the tracks come across as suite-like in construction, introduced by themes that move far afield and transform as the music unfolds yet remain somehow unified. Opener "Action at a Distance" offers blissful new age drones on keys, harp, and treated saxophones. A vamp-like melody appears, sounding like the chorus from a forgotten 1960s-era TV theme, as synths and pulsing Mellotron shift the melody and Gingrich deliberately plays Keith Moons breaks from "We Wont Get Fooled Again." Synths, saxes, sonically treated harp, and a whining pedal steel guitar add to the flow, at once enveloping yet nearly hummable. The single "Crying in the Trees" melds piano and bells before Davis harp claims the fore and Ruth adds restrained, doomy guitar, playing call-and-response with Davis and Ques soprano before the drums thud in, adding heft, and dark textures. As the jam progresses, Gingrich gets more animated with slamming fills and breaks. Ques tenor begins to bleat, balancing drums and electronics with a free modal solo. "God Wont Speak" begins with samples of Indian percussion, low-end electronics, and limpid violin. Saxophones, synths, and lilting harp color the backdrop. Halfway through, subtle yet complex reed melodies and pedal steel lead the instruments and sampled choral vocals until the crescendo of low-tuned guitars, bass, and distortion. The single "No Muscle No Memory" pairs a sequenced harmonic pattern with guitar breaks; the vamp remains static throughout and buoyed with wandering exploratory tenor solo from Que, followed by Davis until the jam increases in tension and density. Ruth plays nasty, doomy guitar patterns. There isnt a middling moment on Water Still Flows. It is at once forceful in its multiple dimensions while tempering the aggression with languid, even limpid restraint among all players. Highly recommended. ~ Thom Jurek