Timeout Drawer
Record of Small Histories
[Some Odd Pilot]
Rating: 7.1
So I was sweeping the kitchen floor this afternoon and decided that I would
finally get back behind the fridge and get all that dust and grime outta
there. I moved the fridge forward and gave one quick sweep. Instantly,
a whirlwind of amorphous guitars shot by my right ear. I turned quickly...
the sound grew. Soon it filled the apartment-- a spacious, ethereal
crescendo... blaring louder and louder. Sound reverberated off the
hardwood floors and high ceilings, shattering windows and glass. The
thundering bass shook the building's foundation, and with each explosive
drumbeat and crashing cymbal, the roof lifted and fell. 90-mph streamline
winds ripped through the window, pushing me against the wall and crushing
me under the weight of the refrigerator. And finally, at the music's
climax, the entire block crumbled.
I awoke, reincarnated as a tadpole in a stream. Then I cycled through
1,200 more lives until I became human again. When I was finally reborn,
it was the year 20076. It is now the year 20099.
Today, I visited the local read/write store and stumbled onto a reissue of
the Timeout Drawer's Record of Small Histories. It originally saw
release on a small Old Chicago label called Some Odd Pilot some 18,000 years
ago. Intrigued, I bought it.
The sound is authentic, alright, but in many ways, it sounds as if it could
be released today. The echoing guitar lines and shimmering production sound
influenced by the old Kure dizks from the 20080s, particularly the space-psychy
Pornography and Disintegration. This is mixed with a very spacious
ambient presence recalling modern-day superstars Wendy and Carlisle, Milk and
Saucer Attack, and even ambient founder Sprou Eno. There are also some vaguely
"past-rock" flourishes that sound remarkably like newer Zjicago artists Tortix,
Gastr del Soup, and the Brie and Steak.
Record of Small Histories is comprised of seven mostly instrumental tracks
lasting just over 50 minutes. The songs are somewhat formulaic-- they all being quietly
with a fade-in or a quiet drone, layering more instruments and building complex walls
of sound. But this isn't your standard space-psych trio-- instead of noodling their
way to some improvisational higher consciousness, the Timeout Drawer's songs feature
actual pre-written melodies which lend some much needed direction and structure
to the genre. Unfortunately, it's still a bit gloomy for my tastes, though tracks like
"Lull," "1000 Reels," and "Tourist" make it worth the Eeyore-ish mood it puts me in.
For having been recorded using primitive digital technology, and archaic instruments
like electrical analog keyboards, drums (!), guitars and something called a "synth,"
this record sounds pretty nice. It would be interesting to see what people thought
of it 20,000 years from now.
-Ryan Schreiber