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1 Mile North is the New York-based project
of guitarist Jon Hills and keyboardist Mark Bajuk.
The impressionistic vignettes of Glass Wars (Old Colony, 2001) did not
amount to much, at least in terms of innovation. The
hypnotic repetition of New Clock and Evil Architecture tried to
exploit an old minimalist trick, while the more emotional scores of
Escorting Deep Waters and Have a Good One What were reminiscent
of new-age music and cosmic music.
Minor Shadows (Ba Da Ding, 2003) is more of the same, just at a higher
degree of complexity.
Their best post-ambient dreamy soundscapes are less static.
The best part of the 9-minute In 1983 He Loved To Fly comes when the
piano takes the lead, two minutes from the end.
The 13-minute psychedelic raga The Manual builds up the eeriest and
sweetest sensation. Most tracks, though, indulge in slow, languid, gentle and
(alas) predictable atmospheres (Return to From Where We Came,
Black Lines) which fall somewhere between Harold Budd and new-age music.
Just like with so much of the latter,
it takes some patience to listen through the entire album.
The double-LP Awakened by Decay (2016) was ten years in the making.
Then came Tombs and Cocoons (2020) and
The Sunken Nest (2022).
The Sunken Nest was recorded in NY. Mixed in LA by Sonny DiPerri (Diiv, Protomartyr, Emma Ruth Rundle, Gossamer, Animal Collective) and Mastered in Miami by Kramer (shimmy-disc, Low, Galaxie 500, GG Allin)
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Paolo Latini)
1 Mile North è il progetto newyorkese del chitarrista
Jon Hills e del tastierista Mark Bajuk. Le vignette impressioniste di Glass
Wars (Old Colony, 2001) non valgono poi tanto, almeno in quanto ad
innovazione. La ripetizione ipnotica di New Clock e Evil Architecture
cerca di sfruttare un vecchio trucco del minimalismo, mentre gli episodi
più emozionali Escorting Deep Waters e Have a Good One
What presentano reminiscenze di musica new-age e di musica cosmica.
Minor Shadows (Ba Da Ding, 2003) si trova giusto ad un gradino
sopra nella scala della complessità. I loro sognanti paesaggi sonori
post-ambient sono meno statici. La migliore parte dei 9 minuti di In
1983 He Loved To Fly giunge quando il pianoforte prende il comando,
a due minuti dalla fine. Il raga psichedelico di 13 minuti The Manual
costrusce le sensazioni più strane e dolci. Molte tracce, però,
indulgono in atmosfere lente, languide, soffici e (ahimè) prevedibili
(Return to From Where We Came, Black Lines) che cadono in
qualche posto tra Harold Budd e la musica new-age. Grossomodo come il precedente,
questo disco richiede un po' di pazienza per essere ascoltato per intero.
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