SCOUT NIBLETT
THE CALCINATION OF SCOUT NIBLETT
Released 18/01/10; Drag City
It's worth remembering The Beatles recorded their entire canon on eight tracks or less. In fact most of their material, including such marvels as 'Strawberry Fields Forever', were recorded on four or even two track recorders.
The reason for mentioning this is that it is proof that inventive minds will always far transcend any technological limitations put in their way and that the 'ease' of modern recording techniques usually equates to there use for no real artistic purpose. All too often modern music is no more than a software showpiece, the actual song drowned in dozens of the needless layers which digital recording makes possible.
Producer Steve Albini, who produces Scout Niblett's sixth album and who once had the message 'The future belongs to the analog loyalists' printed on the back of one of his LPs, is a man whom has often been outspoken against modern recording techniques. Each album he produces amounts to exemplar as to how things should be done and here on 'The Calcination of Scout Niblett' he allows the songs remarkable space to breath, the whole sound of the album is stripped down with the emphasis on the natural sound of the instruments which are allowed to remain intact, free of post production meddling.
Albini's stance against the digitization of music is heartening, the faith he has in purity of sound over razzmatazz to affect the listener is admirable and his firm ideas have helped produce many classic albums from Nirvana to Nina Nastasia but as Albini would surely agree the major reason on which the success of an album pivots is that of the artist; so what of Scout Niblett herself?
Niblett's songs seem to be influenced most of all by P. J. Harvey and 'Bleach' era Nirvana. And while the guitars have the signature sludgey tone of grunge there is nothing here you could reasonable describe as a rocker, each track is interspersed with long silences, often lacking any percussion like a sort of post-slacker delta blues of guitar and voice only. The impenetrable lyrics are sung in almost a folk style. However, with each of the eleven 'songs' seemingly bleeding into each other, it can make for an unrelenting and downbeat experience which carries on for almost an hour. Taken in bite sized chunks some of this album is palatable but the pursuit of Niblett's singularly glum vision can make 'The Calcination of Scout Niblett' a bit of a chore - unless you want to learn how analog recording should sound.
VOGELENZANGRANK: 6.55
Sample track - Scout Niblett - 'Duke of Anxiety'