Long Arithmatic
QPSM Unit
The Seriousness of Matter, 2001
I read something that made me smile on page 143 of the Fall 2005 Wax Poetics. While discussing some of his favorite records in an interview with Monk One, Quantic said, “I really like records you can hear the room in; it has an atmosphere.” I’ve had similar sentiments before but something about the way he said it really captured the essence of it for me. I’m sure someone could explain it away with some talk about microphone distances and stuff like that but for me, for now, “hearing the room” sums it up.
This is one of those records. I first heard this record from a distance in Gimme Gimme Records on 5th Street. I remember being immediately being drawn into the song…and to the back of the store for the requisite, “who is this?…who?? ok, where did you get it?” The tempo fluctuates wildly, and it’s as much ‘controlled chaos’ as it is ‘ensemble.’ Maybe I’m listening in the wrong places but I don’t hear many songs that have this kind of raw energy anymore.
This record also wins my “most uncategorizable record” award along with Godspeed You Black Emperor “Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada E.P.” They should just be on permanent display on my wall because I haven’t properly filed them yet…and it’s been like 2-3 years each.
>> songs are available for two weeks [7.4 MB]
July 29th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Well said.
a record u can hear the room in……….like the classic Steve Reid’s Nova.
this contained sound makes it eternally personal.