JONATHAN KANE - February

Several factors make Table of the Elements a cult phenomenon even today, after more than a decade of militancy in the world of adventurous music, which began with Zeena Parkins' hydrogen harp. First and foremost, it is the only label capable of uniting avid fans of avant-garde music and diehard nostalgists of the little chemistry set: it has established itself in a particular niche of the record market with repeated strokes of genius, keeping the inevitable stylistic slips into self-indulgence to a minimum. Moreover, alongside its artistic merits, one must acknowledge the value of its work in bringing to a fairly wide audience records that would otherwise be destined for elitist veneration (when not for the infamous oblivion), as well as the considerable importance of numerous outstanding rediscoveries: think, among many others, of Faust and John Fahey, for years away from the scene before their well-deserved rediscovery.

This is precisely the spirit in which we should read the American label's latest release: we have reached catalogue number eighty-eight, the element is radium (little chemists, don't play with it), and the lavish rediscovery is New York "legend" Jonathan Kane, who many of you will remember as the drummer who ravaged the earliest Swans lineups, and few for his quieter career as a musician alongside true totems of the avant-garde such as Rhys Chatham and La Monte Young.

If such illustrious associations may help in reconstructing the author's history and artistic path, they certainly don't carry the same weight in trying to classify this new work: "February", far from being a revival of the noisier Swans or a daring foray into minimalism, pays homage to the aforementioned masters by drawing its lifeblood from the blues. This is the thread running through the album, entirely instrumental, essentially played and produced by Kane alone (handling bass, guitar and, naturally, drums), joined on some tracks by Igor Cubrilovic.

The opening is entrusted to the splendid "Curl", a nimble surf composition building to a crescendo, with acoustic and electric riffs intertwining over drumming that could not be more Zappa-esque (it is Zappi Diermaier of Faust, before some fan of the moustachioed one flies into a rage). The high point of the album, it has the sole flaw of making the following "Pops" sound bland and monotonous, though it offers little of its own to be fully appreciated. More lively is "Sis", also built on a fabric that betrays Krautrock influences (the accompanying notes not coincidentally mention Neu!). Worth noting is the finale, marked by frenzied drumming and a piercing guitar leading the scene.

Acoustic and delicate is the interlude of "Motherless Child", a heart-wrenching traditional reworked for the occasion.

A firm bass line introduces the final chapter, a tribute to the more electric Rhys Chatham with a cover of the stunning "Guitar Trio". Kane, fully in command of his sonic material, slows and stretches at will; the mechanical pace drags the listener toward an imposing, percussive finale, almost obsessive in its intensity.

Overall the work holds to decent levels. The idea of combining the blues with sounds that have evolved in opposite directions, both historically and geographically, is original; the proposal is pleasant in itself, though a certain sense of repetitiveness keeps it from reaching levels of excellence.

In terms of accessibility, the music contained in the grooves of "February" (a shameless ploy to remind fetishists of the vinyl edition's availability) ranks among the most approachable ever released by Table of the Elements, but this does not make it any less deserving of being heard.

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21/03/2011