Sonic Circuits VIII in Bloomington, MN

For the eighth consecutive year, the
American Composers Forum
released, through its label
Innova Recordings
, another volume of
Sonic Circuits
, a program of electro-acoustic and electronic music intended to give an idea of contemporary explorations in the field of audio art.
Sonic Circuits VIII
, like its predecessors, contains fascinating works and weaker tracks. This album's highlights are
Francis Dhomont
's
"En Cuerdas,"
a piece using the acoustic guitar as a sound source (not his strongest, but still a poetic work) and
David Jaggard
's fascinating
"Mary & Ann."
Set on excerpts of
Samuel Beckett
's novel
Watt
, this piece uses multiple narrators and old analog equipment. The result captivates the listener for 15 minutes. Other works of interest are the ambient slow-paced
"Holding Patterns"
(
Katherine Gordon
) and
Philip Mantione
's cleverly titled
"Sinusoidal Tendencies."
As usual, the blend of masters and unknown names, short and long works, musique concrete, and computer music fills this collection with discovery potential and educational value. ~ Francois Couture