ETHERNET
Interesting name, Ethernet. At first glance, I’d suspect it signifies some merger, some connection between the spiritual and the technical and so the listener is expected to meditate on their own existence or at least give it some cursory introspective glance with this as their soundtrack. Of course, the waffle that such journeys encourage is usually that of some self-obsessed narcissist banging on endlessly in some pseudo-philosophical jargon about their inability to align their chakras or something. And like such one-sided conversations, ‘Opus 2’ begins interestingly enough and slowly but oh-so-very surely wanes. Predictably, ‘Monarch’ opens with a brief ascending arpeggio. The gateway to the self is opened and in we step, awe and wonder abound as soft pulses and the gentle suggestion of melody circle and lead us into more of the same with ‘Correction’. ‘Cubed Sons’ introduces some darker shades while ‘Dog Star’s tempo moves the album forward from its hitherto stagnant viewpoint, a sense of anxiety emerging from the gentle hiss that pervades the track. By the time ‘Dodecahedron’ eventually comes around, ‘Opus 2’ is already over and the thirteen-minute ‘Pleroma’ sits alone, waiting, hoping that someone will pay attention.
No doubt there will be many more than willing to take their time to be as pretentious as they can and describe this as some sort of magnificent journey through the hidden avenues of the soul, the spirit, or perhaps even the ether within which the secrets of existence simply must be contemplated. Gray’s ear for a melody and his ability to craft slow-burning ambiences is very good, as is his aptitude for subtlety and nuance, but it just goes on and on and on. Just like the soul, or the spirit, or the ether…
No doubt there will be many more than willing to take their time to be as pretentious as they can and describe this as some sort of magnificent journey through the hidden avenues of the soul, the spirit, or perhaps even the ether within which the secrets of existence simply must be contemplated. Gray’s ear for a melody and his ability to craft slow-burning ambiences is very good, as is his aptitude for subtlety and nuance, but it just goes on and on and on. Just like the soul, or the spirit, or the ether…
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Kranky
Album
OPUS 2
Review by Jason Guest
RUNNING TIME:
57:00
RELEASE DATE:
7th Jan 2013
TRACK LISTING
1) Monarch
2) Correction
3) Cubed Suns
4) Dog Star
5) Dodecahedron
6) Pleroma
2) Correction
3) Cubed Suns
4) Dog Star
5) Dodecahedron
6) Pleroma
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
USA
"Gray’s ear for a melody and his ability to craft slow-burning ambiences is very good, as is his aptitude for subtlety and nuance, but it just goes on and on and on."
