3 out of 5

Label: Hydra Head

Producer: Aaron Turner

It’s hard to say at what level to listen to ‘Drawing Voices’.  I mean, yeah, it shouldn’t be about the background story, it should be about the music or the experience or whatever, but when the concept is being presented along with the album as part of the package – part of the reason for its existence – it’s hard to ignore.

So ‘Drawing Voices’ is a project wherein some kind of microphone equipment records the ‘sounds’ of pen hitting page, or, I suppose, various other utensils hitting various other surfaces.  It’s a project conceived of by Craig Dongoski, and in the liner notes for DV, he talks at length about the intentions of what’s he’s doing- trying to find a new way to connect with the medium – and mentions some of his inspirations, and the progress he’s made in learning to approach the creative process in a new fashion.  At no point does this mini essay mention Hydra Head, or Aaron Turner.  Now perhaps Craig sought out Aaron, or perhaps Aaron read about it and sought out Craig.  Perhaps they’re friends, and the Drawing Voices album – for which Turner took many of this recordings and layered them with feedback, with loops, with guitar noodling – was an idea borne of a conversation…  I can’t say.  All I know is that presented with this background, and then adding in the essay, it starts to hollow out the listening experience, as it’s two separate artists doing two separate things.  I would’ve preferred an essay from Aaron about how he felt that these noises needed to be heard, and he felt that they carried more weight when manipulated as he did… or if Craig had mentioned the desire to expand into music…

These are things I can assume, but unfortunately, the seed of this other feeling has already been planted.  Which is too bad, because I wonder how I would receive this without any pre-judgments – Drawing Voices just percolates with interesting, creepy noises, manipulated just so by Turner such that you’re never left without something to hang on to – much noise experiments (not music) committed to tape are filled with emptiness where you’re waiting for something to happen.  While this could be part of whatever ‘experiment,’ it doesn’t make for valuable repeat listens, generally, whereas Drawing Voices pays off when left on a loop, scissoring up and and down bubbling, chattering xylophone of noise until the concluding track overwhelms us with buzzes and drone.  But, for the patient, well-plotted composition, it still carries that sort of robotic, hollow feel.  I just can’t tell what the intention is.