Review by Frans de Waard on Vital Weekly 1375
Published February 21, 2023
Published February 21, 2023
In the music of S'entendre, we also find an electric guitar played by Jonathan Deasy. Nicholas Maloney plays synthesizers. I reviewed various solo releases from both gentlemen. I assumed this was one of those 'exchange by mail' collaborations, as Deasy lives in Ireland and Maloney in the USA, but no, this is, in fact, a live recording they made in August 2021 in Cork, Ireland. Their cassette is just over forty minutes long and has four tracks. These pieces cover a diverse approach of dark ambient, noise and that dystopian feel. Whereas Carnivorous Plants is more one-directional, this duo goes different places. 'Deep Impact' is one of those machine recordings inside an abandoned factory, whereas 'Lunar Gateway' is more akin to an ambient glitch; there is a light touch but a dark undercurrent. 'Atmospheric Drag' seems to be created with orchestral samples rubbing the wrong, and the cassette closes with 'Astronomical Object', the longest piece. Here they hold the middle ground between the storm of 'Deep Impact' and 'Atmospheric Drag' and the quieter 'Lunar Gateway'. In this lengthy piece, the mood builds slowly and becomes a gritty mass of astronomical weight. Great music. Sad they didn't play some more music that night.