4 out of 5

Label: Astral Spirits, Monofonus Press

Produced by: Adam Hirsch (recorded by, mixed by)

I realize I’m probably inconsistent when it comes to reviewing experimental / drone music, as my reception is surely subject to whatever mood I’m in, but then again… I think that the experimental / drone I prefer is that which is capable of changing my mood. John McCowen’s 4 Chairs in 3 Dimensions does that, by – to me – undercutting what I expect it to do. And while I don’t know exactly what that is, I think its counter is somewhat explained by John’s description of this set: “treating the clarinet as an acoustic synthesizer.”

Appearing on outre jazz imprint Astral Spirits / Monofonus Press, and credited solely to John’s Clarinet or Contrabass Clarinet, recorded live, I was suppose I was imagining this to be some reedy tootin’ of some for or another, but the closest we get to that is the breathless bong-hit of track 2’s ‘Fu-e,’ which runs its kinda gross bubbling sound through a longform gambit, past the point of grossness and becoming alien, then somewhat familiar, but also restless. Those contradictions – alongside the other pieces sounding very much unlike clarinets – keep 4 Chairs a compelling listen, even if it does still wholly qualify as drone sounds of feedback-like scratchiness, with the unnerving title track even sounding nigh-electronic.

Opener White Trash and third track Birds of Jamaica are sister tracks of a sort, as their warbles hit a similar register; on cassette (as opposed to digital) this makes more sense as they start out each side, but it would’ve been nice to get some variation here. But by keeping the set relatively short, this is far from being a deal-breaker.

Simple but dense.