Max Eilbacher is one of the most prolific and necessary fixtures of Baltimore's curiously fruitful music scene. Although largely associated with syncopated avant-noise-and-jazz heroes Horse Lords, Eilbacher has established himself as a trusted and in-demand collaborator, having performed and recorded with the likes of Matmos and other heady, improv- and performance-based musical projects in Baltimore. But even with these tonal excursions, Eilbacher manages to maintain his most adventurous and personal work through solo recordings, highlighted by releases on Spectrum Spools, NNA Tapes, Ehse, Bánh Mì Verlag, Anòmia, and many more. Now, Eilbacher issues perhaps his most adventurous and cohesive work to date with Dual Monologues in Parallel.
"Unnamed (For Guitar and Tape)" presents a new form of ecstatic harmonic music, reminiscent of the polyrhythmic studies perpetuated by Eilbacher on bass guitar with Horse Lords. Here though, Eilbacher found unexpected inspiration after discovering his own technical and musical limitations with a specific style of guitar playing. To overcome the hurdle, Eilbacher created an entirely new computer program to achieve his goals, ultimately creating an ever-evolving and generative piece of music that could literally go on forever. The aural reward includes a mix of sampled guitar harmonics, drum parts, and Buchla synthesizer tones that is simultaneously immediate and eventual, with each moment holding its own passing glory while adding to the expansive beauty of the whole.
Born as an alternate mix of a recent eight-channel piece of the same name, "The Ecstatic Movement of a Broken Arm" explores the magic of chance and circumstance via stream-of-conscious production and editing. Re-tooled as a symphonic suite in stereo, this excerpt version is a gripping and hypnotic set of sound and (verbal) vision that passingly recalls Matmos' own descriptive cut-ups.
Succinct but perfectly complimentary of the two extended pieces, "4wvp" and "bc4q" offer calm fits of electro-acoustic exploration. All in all, Dual Monologues in Parallel captures Eilbacher at the height of his game, breaking away from any predisposed inclinations and venturing down his own paths.
credits
released November 11, 2017
Side A: Recorded and mixed in Berlin DE May 2017 at Cashmere Radio
Side B: Recorded and mixed in Baltimore MD July 2017
Voice on track 3 by Miles Clark
Mastered by John Daniel
Cover drawing by Virginia Genta
Art & layout by Paulina Oknińska & Janek Ufnal
supported by 16 fans who also own “Dual Monologues in Parallel”
“With Julius, he was based in repetition, but here was a spirit of openness and improvisation. His scores, if they were written out that way, were often like jazz scores. He loved multiplying instruments – four pianos, ten cellos – so there was a real feeling of the presence of the instrument, not just using an instrument in some kind of equation, as a means to an end.” ~ Mary Jane Leach
Enough said. pt
supported by 16 fans who also own “Dual Monologues in Parallel”
An excellent collaboration yielding melancholic and unsettling looping noise with ethereal vocals, tinged with a bit of 80s horror synth. Highly recommend! cedarshims
Recorded after overcoming serious physical issues, joy and und radiate from every note of trumpeter Steph Richard's incredible new LP. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 23, 2024