Kane Ikin and David Wenngren – Strangers

Perhaps it could be argued that a stranger is not the unthought, unperceived person, of whose existence one remains unaware. A stranger must make his or her presence felt in some way, be it physically or otherwise, in order to be perceived as strange. Unlike a friend, a stranger can never be truly absent, but must be there right in front of you, posing the question of his or her own identity, demanding a response.

This way of thinking about the stranger hints at why the title of Kane Ikin and David Wenngren’s new collaborative release is so appropriate. The two musicians have never met in person, yet were present to one another throughout the album’s production via their music, by which they in turn asked questions of one another and offered responses. The music itself makes its own presence felt strongly, immersing the listener in waves of static and analogue haze, with deep, growling bass and piercing tones. These enveloping sounds eschew simple, clear structures and singalong tunes, instead presenting themselves as puzzles to be solved, as autonomous entities that must somehow be accounted for.

That’s not to say that there aren’t any melodies in “Strangers”. The album has the visceral oomph and grit of Ikin’s work with Paul Fiocco as Solo Andata, yet with more melodic, lyrical leanings reminiscent of Wenngren’s recent collaborations, such as “The Meridians of Longitude and Parallels of Latitude” with Christopher Bissonnette. Perhaps by positioning the release somewhere in between these two reference points, we can make it a little less strange, a little less threatening. Like any good record, however, “Strangers” doesn’t allow itself to be pinned down by such categorisations – just when you think you have it figured out, it surprises you with a tight bassline (“Call”) or a moment of the gentle fragility (“Chalk”).

An interesting partnership, then, bringing new colours and new ideas without departing too radically from previous work. The acoustic piano of Wenngren’s solo output as Library Tapes is notable for its absence, but this was also the case with the aforementioned album with Bissonnette – it seems Wenngren is making the most of the opportunities offered by collaborative projects to try out new approaches and work with different instrumentations, showing that there is much more to his talent than piano improvisation. “Strangers” is available in CD and download editions from the ever-reliable Keshhhhhh Recordings, and is well worth getting acquainted with!

- Nathan Thomas for Fluid Radio

www.myspace.com/keshhhhhh
www.kaneikin.com
www.myspace.com/davidwenngren