4 out of 5

Label: available from http://supermegacorporation.blogspot.com/

Improvisational pieces are a mixed bag.  I mean, anyone can tap tap on some keys or flingle flangle some guitar strings, hit record for twenty minutes, and call it minimalism or something.  This is like the debate on art, though – it’s really up to the viewer / listener to decide what’s what.  If you enjoy it on some level, or it affects you on some level, then perhaps it’s achieved a goal, of some type.  Or maybe Geoff Soule is just recording bits and pieces for posterity and allowing followers to check it out.  The prior of these two pieces – available via the SMC blog, as listed above – is awesome.  Mixing in some light keyboard work with, maybe, some loops, it reminds me of an Alec Empire solo album I have (Les Etoiles…) and the Dreamscape soundtrack by Maurice Jarre, meaning its this dreamlike blend of electronic noise that continually fades in and out.  It holds your attention in a flutter during its runtime, and feels like a purposeful composition.  The latter of the two pieces has the rolling drums and found-sound of Storm & Stress.  It is equally accomplished, but feels much more like an improvised collection of subtle noise.  Both works actually hold up, to me, better than the “official” Geoff Soule noodling collection released through Supermegacorporation – The Improvisations.

That being said, I have no idea if these are improvised or not, just that they were recorded live.  Woot.