Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Ophibre - Basil Forests (Digitalis Limited, 2009)


Ophibre - Side B








You know what's been missing from this blog for a while? OPHIBRE. AGB used to be like the #1 Ophibre fan site (still is) but I've been slacking. He's been putting out plenty of stuff for me to review (including the one on Songs From Under The Flooboards which was just released today), I just haven't been keeping up. Shame on me. Well, since I last wrote about him, he's moved up a bit in the world with a new release on Digitalis! Way to go dude.

Basil Forests has 2 side long pieces and both are the pure heavy drone Ophibre is known for. The A side starts with that no-nonsense pulsing layered over hushed cosmic hum. Space and time intertwine while stars drift by. Wide open synthy sounds, panning & warping, expanding & morphing, acting like a gas filling every available space in your room. So many intricate sounds whizzing by, it becomes dense & loud in a very soft way, dizzying in its blissy grandeur.

The B side is a whole other monster, heavy as shit right from the get go. It sounds like an entire fleet of WWII bomber planes. Menacing and relentless, it's a black hearted non-entity with a one track mind. Mostly an organ-type sound but there's an unmistakable growl underneath it all, patiently waiting until your mind goes numb when it'll lunge for your throat. However, like almost all of Ophibre's work, it also has a euphoric transcendent quality. Blur your ears and it unfolds itself one coating at a time to reveal an infinite harmony.

Because this one's on Digitalis Limited, that means that it's got quality presentation and, yes, is limited. Though how limited, I'm not sure, as it's not even on the Digitalis site. I'm sure you can (and should) get one if you ask them, or from Ophibre himself.

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