Athens’s Sound in Silence just can’t grab up these accomplished artists enough, can they? MIS+RESS, aka Brian Wenckebach from New Jersey, is the latest post rock/ambient producer to drop a lovely handmade CD through the label. You may recognize Wenckebach as half of Elika, half of Thee Koukouvaya, and part of Measured, a trio featuring Evagelia Maravelias (the other half of Elika) and — oh, you probably haven’t heard of him — some dude named Ulrich Schnauss who’s played with some German band called Tangerine Dream.
I know! I’m maddeningly ignorant myself.
Anyway, at least this isn’t my first go-round with MIS+TRESS in general, as I tackled the self-titled Somewherecold release over at that website that pops the tabs out of cassettes for some reason. And here, again, on Dispellers, Wenckebach spreads out over eight fabulous tracks of minimal guitar work, loops upon loops manufacturing beauty out of ethereal ingredients. It’s not hard to determine where Wenckebach’s mind’s going here – “floating,” “bewitchment,” “trembling,” “sleepwalking,” and “moonglow” are all key concepts in the tracks, although I do admit I am cherrypicking to prop up the narrative. But still! Try to tell me I’m wrong. You won’t be able to.
Dispellers is available in an edition of 200 hand-numbered copies, packaged in a “dusty pink … cardboard envelope,” and the cover image is “printed on a polaroid style photo paper.” Really nice presentation.
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