Masayoshi Fujita & Jan Jelinek - Bird, Lake, Objects

Masayoshi Fujita & Jan Jelinek
Bird, Lake, Objects
(2010, Faitiche)
RIYL = Uh, Jan Jelinek, Chihei Hatakayama, Sawako

No disrespect to Masayoshi Fujita, because whatever his contribution is here, it’s a good one (considering the results as a whole), but this is essentially, for me, a Jan Jelinek record. To which I say, it’s about time! It’s been about four years since his best-of-the-decade Tierbeobachtungen was released, and I’ve been itching for something new. Bird, Lake, Objects is the approximate fulfillment of those wishes. And, to be polite – because me and Mr. Fujita, we were just introduced – let me share with you a bit about Jan’s collaborative partner. Turns out my man is a vibraphonist, which is certainly recognizable over the course of the record, plinking and resonating, lightly puncturing Jelinek’s lapping electronic current. The interplay between the two here is seamless. A perfect meshing of live instrumentation with looping electronic manipulation, allowing for a stream of consciousness meditation on the jingle and hum. While Jelinek could be marked specifically for the subtlety in his craft, Bird, Lake, Objects delves even further into interiority, strained pacing and micro evolutions. The tender static, reverberating vibraphone ring, the oscillating minimalism; artistically, this may not be a revelation for the two, but that familiar echo can still evoke a rapture that is strictly Jelinek.

-Thistle

59.

Jan Jelinek
Tiereobachtungen
(Scape, 2006)

The ability of Jan Jelinek to take the elements of electronic drone and somehow warp those elements into someething that could be described as jazz is beyond me. The guy's got skills, or some sort of bizarre apparatus obtained from another planet in order to manipulate sounds on this planet. Whatever the explanation for these oddly lovely patches of sound, I'm a fan.

-Thistle

Jan Jelinek - Tierbeobachtungen

Jan Jelinek
Tierbeobachtungen
(2006, ~Scape)
9.0/10.0

"Otherworldliness" is probably a good word to start with when describing Jan Jelinek's Tierbeobachtungen (try saying that three times fast…but only if you don’t speak German). Jelinek produces oddly satisfying soundscapes filled with an array of clicks, hums, buzzes and whirrs that hail from unidentifiable origins. The six loop based compositions on Tierbeobachtungen swell like the sounds of a crazed jungle from a distant planet, evoking strange creatures and plant life as each track pans in reversed slow motion across its landscape. The imagery fits well in relation to the album title which translates roughly as "Animal Observations." While being wholly unique, a strained comparison might bring to mind some of Animal Collective's more low key instrumental tracks or maybe Black Dice as filtered through William Basinski. I missed this album in 2006 for various reasons, despite knowing about it, or it would have doubtlessly made my top ten (something true of a few discoveries made this year). With that said, any fan of experimental music should mark this album as a required addition to their Itunes library. A textural and atmospheric masterpiece.

-Mr. Thistle

Jan Jelinek - Tierbeobachtungen (full stream)