Most of us who create some sort of art wind up being embarrassed by our early endeavors, but in the case of percussionist Jon Mueller and guitarist Chris Rosenau, their collaborative Telecognac project seemingly surpasses in quality what most musicians strive to produce as a career culmination. The project began in the mid-1990s, when both musicians were in their mid-twenties, and it supplemented shared and simultaneous work with the post-rock bands Pele and Collections of Colonies of Bees.
Interestingly, Telecognac actually served as a the duo’s outlet for experimentalism, even though (within that post-rock context) both of the aforementioned bands avoided what could reasonably be considered a “straightforward” style. So…an “experimental” outlet for the already experimentally-inclined??? Hmm. Sorta makes you wonder what that short-lived side effort actually sounded like, right?
Well, wonder no more: Still Alive (recordings from 1999-2000), is an archival Telecognac release containing two lengthy past recordings from the group (which vacillated to include members additional to the core duo). The first track, “flor,” came out in 2000 as a limited edition 3” CD, and the second track, “Divorce,” was recorded in 1999, but it never saw the light of day due to a label reneging on its stated intentions. Both tracks avoid easy classification, though “flor” does roughly align with some of the electro-acoustic improv music that we all know and love today.
Still Alive (recordings from 1999-2000) is available now in digital form through Jon Mueller’s Rhythmplex label. But because it’s no longer 1999, feel free to stream the album below first, without any arduous clicking.
Still Alive (recordings from 1999-2000) tracklisting:
01. flor (20:57)
02. Divorce (16:11)
More about: Chris Rosenau, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Jon Mueller, Pele
