Back in the day, I used to listen to a record called No Pussyfooting all the time; it was basically just Robert Fripp’s looped guitar over looped guitar over looped guitar with some electronic treatments by Brian Eno. I still think it’s an amazing record, but I’d understand if it’s not for everyone.
But if you’re still with me, I’ve got a treat for you: Noveller’s new LP Fantastic Planet.
It follows the Eno/Fripp blueprint but ups the ante: songs build up, patterns emerge and tones dissolve into noise, often in the same track. Sometimes it sounds like everything from a soundtrack to outer space to something from a video game to post-rock. It’s a killer guitar album and one of the most interesting things I’ve heard all year.
Noveller is what filmmaker and musician Sarah Lipstate goes by on her solo releases. And Fantastic Planet is her latest and 15th release under that name. She’s toured with bands like St. Vincent and Xiu Xiu and performed with Lee Ranaldo, which makes sense since they have a similar approach to music.
Like them, Lipstate’s guitar playing goes into unusual and experimental places. But even Anne Clark’s wildest, when she’s bashing an open string or making her guitar screech like a record doesn’t quite compare to Lipstate’s playing, especially here. On Fantastic Planet, the guitar is the music, the songs building out of patterns and motifs, forms slowly taking shape before drifting back.
A good example of this approach is “Rubicon.” It opens with a simple motif before crashing guitars and waves of synths kick in. As Lipstate’s playing takes over, the booming synths provide a low end and the pattern fades in and out of the mix.
The key with her playing is how fresh it seems, even after repeated listens. She takes different approaches on each track, never repeating ideas or falling back on clichéd riffing. Every time I listen to Fantastic Planet I notice something new in the mix; after a dozen listens in the past week or so, I’m still noticing things here.
But more than that is the sheer originality of her playing: there aren’t any bluesy solos, nor is there a buzzsaw-toned shredfest. Instead are nine tracks, each packed with it’s own ideas, feelings and exploration. “Sisters” has a light, breezy feel, while “No Unholy Mountain” makes me think of outer space.
Even through it sounds atmospheric like something by Explosions in the Sky or Ry Cooder, I think a better touchstone for a record like this is Eno and Fripp’s No Pussyfooting, which took a similarly experimental approach. But Fantastic Planet stands apart, too: every song is concise and there’s never a wasted moment. My biggest problem with Noveller’s latest album though, is how short it is: 40 minutes. I certainly wanted more and thankfully, there’s more than a few other releases of hers worth looking into.
Recommended, particularly if you’re open to new sounds.
Rating: 4.5/5