Rachel's
Selenography
[Quarterstick/Touch and Go]
Rating: 8.0
Rachel's is a band with an impressive pedigree and a spotty discography.
They're part of one of the more interesting band complexes around these
days-- one which includes June of '44, the Sonora Pine and the now- defunct
Rodan-- and both the core of this band and its many satellite members have
proven themselves as excellent players and songwriters.
Even so, Rachel's recordings have managed to disappoint and frustrate as
often as they've managed to please. Their debut, Handwriting, was a
solid record, pretty throughout and very often surprising; it's best moment,
the 14+ minute- long "Full on Night," is possibly the most satisfying fusion
of strings, jazz guitar and found sound ever to grace my earholes.
Their sophomore record, Music for Egon Shiele, stuck to a pretty
straight- forward chamber music format and is in equal parts sublime and
interminable. And then there was 1996's The Sea and the Bells, a
double LP featuring a full orchestra of both traditional and bizarre
instruments that should have been epic and expansive, and ended up being
a little obnoxious. (Truth be told, I've never made it through to the
album's last quarter.)
Still, there are very few other bands doing what these guys are doing--
that being modern chamber music with an indie rock sensibility. For this
reason, I continue to look forward hopefully to each new release. And with
Selenography, Rachel's finally lives up to the promise suggested by
Handwriting.
Superficial details first: Selenography is a really great word,
isn't it? The study of the physical features of the moon, the idea of
selenography connotes a sort of Victorian hybrid of science and mysticism
that perfectly fits the album's sound. The chamber music feel is still
prevalent this time out; Christian Frederickson's violin continues to
occupy the foreground, but the bottom end has filled in a bit, more tracks
were recorded with a drum kit, and there's freer use of samples and other
goodies. Tracks range from the vibraphone- and bleep- filled ambience of "Artemisia"
to the more simple and lush piano/ strings/ trumpet combo of "Cuts the Metal
Cold" to "Honeysuckle Suite," which despite being a solo harsichord piece
amazingly manages to avoid sounding like Mannheim Steamroller.
Selenography, while covering a pretty wide range of instrumental
textures, presents a more cohesive vision than anything Rachel's have
offered so far. They've tightened their focus this time around and the
payoff is substantial. If you're expecting something as highly experimental
as The Sea and the Bells, Selenography will probably be kind
of a letdown. But if you appreciated the austerity of Handwriting
and have been searching for more, your hunt is over.
-Zach Hooker