3 out of 5

Label: Un Je Nes Sais Quoi

Produced by: Lia Kohl and Zander Raymond (mixed by)

I know some folks who are artists, and have done some performance pieces that are… not for me. They are of the variety that requires some buy-in from the viewer; that there’s a mission statement or point that may enrich the works, while the face value of them may not be scrutable, or appealing, or etc.

I’ll admit I have a tough time framing this in an accepting light – as my wording likely betrays; my judgement-meter is quick to ring the “art for art’s sake” bell, which is apparently a grievous sin to the guy who collects TMNT comics.

Often, when I’m reviewing a release on Un Je Nes Sais Quoi, I’ll wonder if I’m more receptive to it because I’ve trained myself to be; i.e. if an album like In Transit was proposed to me at random, with its media copy first (“a collection of field recordings made in spaces of transit”), and likely an accompanying picture of the artists in their bestest artistic duds and poses, would I not roll my eyes and hear that bell a-ringing?

In Transit kind of exists on the line between art and music, but leans consistently enough towards the latter that I’m able to enjoy myself, and better appreciate the art. To answer my prior question, I think if you handed me the one-sheet for this stuff, I’d turn it down, but if my ears are exposed: I’m game to having my expectations dashed. So labels like UJNSQ are at least a shortcut around barriers to entry, and I’m happy for that, as they’ve provably brought great stuff my way; it’s why I stick with them.

Occasionally, the sounds of the spaces In Transit’s artists periodically passed through are well represented in the track, either directly (car sounds; nature sounds) or indirectly through achieved atmosphere. This is supplemented by strings and keys and often electronically manipulated; Kohl’s / Raymond’s triumph is in finding – often – the balance between the true white noise of field recordings, reactive improv, and melody, the latter of which is generally achieved. The touches are also appreciably subtle: there’s not a clear stitching between the analog and digital elements; we hazily flow from moment to moment, scene to scene.

Which does fit with the “transit” scheme, of course, though I do wish the tie-in between art and music was stronger: that the theme was more prominent; the tracks more distinct. But, again, we’re hovering over the line: songs are sometimes purposefully named (“In the taxi”) and sometimes not (“Later”); it’s like the duo are half-committed to the shtick, but also can’t bring themselves to fully commit to crafting legitimate songs, and so the album wanders in a middleground, albeit a very pleasant one.