| WHAT! you may be wondering, |
are other people saying about "The Attack of
the Absolute Zeros"?
Well, here are a few reviews...
Discord Aggregate is the name of a experimental multidisciplinary artists collective based in San Francisco. ‘The Attack of the Absolute Zeros’ is their first independent release.
‘The Attack of the Absolute Zeros’ is
presented as a ‘jazz Non-Opera in celebration of nothingness’.
Music : Pamela Zero. Words : A. Moltkov and S. B. Reda. This work, which is over 70
minutes long, is really an opera, although... There are characters (First, Third, Fifth
Victims, the Preacher, The Zeros, The Narrator), but one can hardly speak of action and
storyline. The story can be quickly summarized : The Zeros come from outer space to invade
Earth, bringing with them coldness. They devour us all and we all die.
Under this seemingly arrid canvas is a fresh, vivid, witty, humourus work, dragging elements from space rock, free-jazz, new music, spoken words... and things I cannot label! Singer Pamela Zero and musicians Zeppi Salemo (alto sax, bass clarinet), Byron Rynes (guitar), Scott Mayfield (keyboards), Tony Johnson (bass) and Jason Willard (drums) give an uplifting performance. S. B. Reda’s narration is the uniting factor here and gives this work an eerie atmosphere.
Discord Aggregate plays a lot on panning, voice treatments, etc. ‘The Attack of the Absolute Zeros’ is an incredible sonic experience. A must for anyone interested in the avant-garde.
Discord Aggregate can be reached through their web site (which, by the way, is totally incredible!)
Delire Actuel’s 1997 Top Ten
#1 - ANNA HOMLER, GEERT WAEGEMAN, PAVEL
FAJT / Corne de vache (Disques Victo # cd047)
#2 - FRANCIS DHOMONT / Forêt profonde (Empreintes digitales #
IMED 9634)
#3 - DISCORD AGGREGATE /
The Attack of the Absolute Zeros (Independent)
#4 - DOCTOR NERVE / Every Screaming Ear (Cuneiform Records #
RUNE 88)
#5 - JEAN DEROME / Hommage à George Pérec (Ambiances
magnétiques # AM044CD)
#6 - FJF / Blow Horn (Okkadisk # OD12019; distributed by Verge)
#7 - VOLAPÜK / Slang! (Cuneiform Records # RUNE 94)
#8 - TALKING PICTURES / The Mirror with a Memory (Red Toucan #
RT 9307-2)
#9 - HACO / Haco (ReR # HACO1)
#10 - GLENN BRANCA / Selections from the Symphonies (for
electric guitars) (Atavistic Radio # ALP35CD)
THE big surprise of 1997.
From out of
nowhere, totally un-heard of, this artists
collective has produced the most
original album of the year. . . . Space
rock, free jazz, spoken words, true
weirdness, a surprising mix. Bravo!
Francois
Couture, "DELIRE ACTUEL"
You've probably heard little or nothing like Attack of the Absolute Zeros before. Its creators describe it as a "non-opera", and that's pretty apt -- while bearing some conceptual similarities to opera, it's about as close to your average Puccini work as a nuclear explosion is to a candle flame.
Attack... lives up to its name -- a dizzying combination of acapella vocals, freeform jazz, spoken narration, cut-and-paste sound effects and other sonic distractions. It's definitely one for the headphones -- there's a lot of panning and funky imaging stuff going on in the mix that you'll miss in a larger listening venue.
And the story? Well, the libretto is thoughtfully provided in the CD booklet, which is good as it's possible to get so caught up in listening that you lose track of the rather freeform plot, which deals with the invasion of Earth by a bunch of faceless, identical "zeros". Humanity rapidly succumbs to the powers of these unfriendly null-values -- after all, anything multiplied by zero is zero, so the zeros' ranks swell with converted humans.
As you might expect, the zeros are an allegorical foe, and the disk ends with an exhortation to listeners not to succumb -- to avoid the cold, artless sameness of modern life and to sustain creativity and individuality. The message of Attack... is laudable, but the method of delivery is what makes the disc truly unique.
GeOrge ZahOra, "SPLENDID E-ZINE"
Something like this could only come from San Francisco. Okay, maybe New York's Knitting Factory scene too. What we have here is an elaborate concept piece about the silliest of concepts: the day the earth was attacked by alien zeros, or as they put it so eloquently on the CD case: A Non-Opera in Celebration of Nothingness.
Bits of music, singing narration, poetry, explorative acapella vocalizing, art and sonic experimentation all mingle freely for the seventy minutes herein. As best as one can figure from the notes, all the music was written by one Pamela Zero, who is also responsible for most of the multi-tracked vocals, while the concept itself was developed based on a short story by A. Molotkov and S. B. Reda, both of whom provide the spoken voices throughout the album, along with two others.
There are five instrumentalists, playing drums, guitar, bass, keys and saxes/bass clarinet. The bits of music, which seem to stop and start throughout the disc could mostly be described as somewhere between free-funk, jazz and free-jazz improvisation, with Zero's outstanding vocalizing being the glue that holds the entire project together.
While this makes for some very interesting listening (especially on the headphones) for those into experimental concepts and avant-garde wierdness, there might not be enough continuous instrumental content here to hold the average pregressive rock listener. That said, this one is a lot of fun, and probably unlike anything you've heard before.
Peter Thelan "EXPOSE" NO. 14
This album, that appears subtitled as "A non-opera in celebration of nothingness", is an intriguing mix of free jazz, electronic effects and spoken word. This work may be labelled as an experimental opera... for lack of any other possible label. The result is quite unexpected.
This CD will no doubt attract the followers of alternative musics. Discord Aggregate is a group of experimental artists dedicated to exploring new ideas, forms and techniques in music, literature, film, new art forms.
The following performers have participated in this work: Pamela Zero (vocals, music composition), S.B. Reda (spoken voice), Zeppi Salerno (saxophone, clarinet), Byron Rynes (guitarr), Scott Mayfield (keyboards), Tony Johnson (bass), Jason Willard (drums, percussion), A. Molotkov ("First Victim"), Jackie Carpenter ("Third Victim"), Herb Heinz ("The Preacher", "Fifth Victim").
V.GUIOL Amazing Sounds
This is an odd one, compelling in its originality and deft musicianship. It amounts to a kind of avant rock opera. The libretto deals in a non-linear way with exactly what the title says. The Absolute Zeros are personified, as if creatures, aliens, rather than a concept of temperature. Cold becomes a metaphor, but the meaning is oblique, obtuse. Einstein On The Beach by Phillip Glass and Robert Wilson is not "about" Einstein, though he is a central figure in the opera. The literary content, non-linear, non-narrative as it is, is the same basic arena as the music theater pieces of composers and artists such as Glass, Wilson, Robert Ashley, Laurie Anderson, or Meredith Monk.
However, rather than an experimental classical music such as minimalism, the base here is rock. That being said, Pete Townsend it ain't. The rock style is definitely quirky and experimental, with the oddness of Thinking Plague or the 5UU's, without their dense complexity and idiosyncratic styles. Other elements include free jazz, prog bits, a cappella singing, narrated portions and much more. Screw your head on tight and give it a listen.
DEAN SUZUKI, Progression
Otro proyecto rompedor que nos llega desde USA, extrapolando a la enesima potencia la filosofia RIO hasta hacerla confluir con esteticas experimentales propias de bandas tipo Negativland. Su unico CD hasta el momento se titula The Attack of the Absolute Zeros una "no-opera", como ellos la definen, en la que entre manipulaciones sonoras y voces de la mas variopinta procedencia analizan los problemas existenciales de las sociedad actual. Se llaman Pamela Zero, A. Molotkov y S.B. Reda y estan llamados a liderar la insurreccion musical con la deberiamos cerrar este milenio.
(which in translation means approximately the following:)
Another breakthrough project that comes to us from the USA extrapolates the RIO philosophy to its full potency, rendering it confluent with the experimental esthetics of band like Negativeland. A first release, "The Attack of the Absolute Zeros", defined as a "non-opera", analyzes the existential problems of today's society using various forms of voice treatment. The group, consisting of Pamela Zero, A. Molotkov, and S.B. Reda, has been called to lead the musical insurrection with which we should close this millennium.
(translation from Finnish of an excerpt from the review was kindly provided by the reviewer)
...The music of Discord Aggregate can be described as a mixture of early Mothers of Invention, the space rock of Gong added with a heavy mix of jazz, a cappella and general weirdness...you must hear the music yourself ...words alone can not do justice to this music...recommended for those looking for adventurous music.
Raimo Eurasto, Colossus Magazine No 11
Een bonte verzameling muzikale contrasten in grillige samenhang, verbonden door vreemdsoortige intermezzi en intrigerende soundscapes, nieuwe CD's, nog niet eerder uitgezonden opnames, reacties van luisteraars, en speciaal voor Supplement Black Box gecomponeerde korte collages.
Werken van o.a.: Maurizio Martusciello, Martijn Padding, Frederic Rzewski, Natascha Barrett, Todor Toporoff, Mary Jean Leach, opnamen van de festivals Impact, November Music en Terza Prattica, en de Jazz Non-Opera The Attack of the Absolute Zeros van de Amerikaanse formatie Discord Aggregate.
The Attack of the Absolute Zeros - Discord Aggregate
Sinds 1999 besteedt Supplement in de serie A New Stage aandacht aan de muziek die uitsluitend op Internet te vinden is. In de 4e, korte aflevering ('Viewer Email', 4 september 2000) - was muziek te horen van musici en componisten die via e-mail hadden gevraagd ook eens naar hun muziek te luisteren.
Eén van de 4 geselecteerde bands was de Amerikaanse formatie Discord Aggregate, een collectief van experimentele kunstenaars, dat zich ten doel gesteld heeft de grenzen te verleggen binnen de muziek, literatuur, film en internetkunst. Samen maken ze muziek die eigenlijk onmogelijk ergens is onder te brengen. Na de vierde aflevering van A New Stage stuurden ze hun eerste CD op: the Attack of the Absolute Zeros, door de band omschreven als een 'Jazz Non-Opera'.
The Attack of the Absolute Zeros is niet alleen in muzikaal, maar ook een literair opzicht een vreemdsoortig produkt. De 'non-opera' beschrijft de komst van de 'absolute zeros', die op een zomerdag op aarde landen als sneeuwvlokken van as. Wat ze op hun weg tegenkomen maken ze dood om kou te maken. Al hun slachtoffers moeten koud worden, in de naam der koudheid…
Discord Aggregate bestaat uit: A. Molotkov, S.B. Reda en Pamela Zero. Een deel van the Attack of the Absolute Zeros werd ten dele tijdens een geïmproviseerde sessie opgenomen met de medewerking van Zeppi Salerno (altsax en basklarinet), Byron Rynes (gitaar), Scott Mayfield (toetsen), Tony Johnson (bas), Jason Willard (drums en percussion). De spreekstem is die van S.B. Reda, daarnaast zijn te horen Pamela Zero, Herb Heinz, Jackie Carpenter en A. Molotkov.
www.discord-aggregate.com
www.soundclick.com/discordaggregate
www.anewstage.com
Supplement wordt vandaag gemaakt door Armeno Alberts, Arno Peeters, Marc Wielaert en Vera Vingerhoeds.
Supplement Jan 15 2001
