Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Cría Cuervos - Vor Feuerschlünden [Afe - 2007]

ía Cuervos, has gotten around quite a bit in the past few years, coordinating with artists such as Paul Bradley and Maurizio Bianchi, yet has remained under the radar. Vor Feuerschlünden (German for "Before Throats of Fire") consists of two long pieces over roughly 48 minutes. The label is calling this electro-acoustic and experimental music sourced from field recordings, self programmed theta waves, shortwave and software. In case you're wondering what the hell that sounds like, here we go;

" />

Eugenio Maggio, a.k.a. Cría Cuervos, has gotten around quite a bit in the past few years, coordinating with artists such as Paul Bradley and Maurizio Bianchi, yet has remained under the radar. Vor Feuerschlünden (German for "Before Throats of Fire") consists of two long pieces over roughly 48 minutes. The label is calling this electro-acoustic and experimental music sourced from field recordings, self programmed theta waves, shortwave and software. In case you're wondering what the hell that sounds like, here we go;

The title track starts off in near silence for the first couple of minutes, then gradually builds into a noisy net of what sounds like layered radio static. About 15 minutes in, it peaks then fades back down, with some additional noises added to the stew. It takes fairly close listening to realise there's actually some artful placement of the noisy sheets of static, so you had better be in a patient mood when you crank this up. It is a touch one-dimensional, and will undoubtedly polarise listeners because of it's harsh simplicity. On the other hand, it's audaciousness makes it interesting, and it's carefully crafted enough that it doesn't come off as lazy noise-making.

The second track, Blutgebell, is a different beast entirely. It starts off with field recordings of birds, frogs and other jungle sounds (I guess), then a febrile, sweeping drone comes in, with cicadas, which overtakes the jungle sounds. There are flourishes of what sounds like distorted wind, then at around thirteen minutes in, ocean sounds begin. There are the sounds of waves, seagulls and even a boat horn. There is an ever present background of crackly noise throughout as well. This goes on for a few minutes, until finally a babbling brook enters the picture at around the twenty minute mark, which then takes you downstream to a rain forest setting, ending the recording. If this sounds overly New Age, you're way off. There's enough barbs created by software (and I'm assuming, "theta" waves") to make this more than just simply a collection of field recordings. It's one of the best examples of "environmental" music that I've heard in a while.

The package is fine as well; it consists an over-sized wallet-style glossy sleeve with appropriate dark, natural artwork. Though this is a cd-r, it's difficult to tell, because the labels are nice as well. Act fast If you plan on getting your hands on this, as there's only 100 copies of these available. Go to Afe Records if you're interested. 

Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

Erwin Michelfelder
Latest Reviews

Cría Cuervos - Vor Feuerschlünden
Eugenio Maggio, a.k.a. Cría Cuervos, has gotten around quite a bit in the past few years, coordinating with artists such as Paul Bradley and Maurizio Bianch...
270625   Murder Rock - Murder Rock( Bl...
270625   The Black Torment - The Blac...
250625   Girls Without Shame - Girls W...
250625   Xiphos - The Age Of Alexander
250625   Timothy Fairless - Keep Tal...
240625   CORR//PT│0N_UN1T - S7ATU5_...
240625   Golem - Golem( Blu Ray)
230625   Cryptopsy - An Insatiable Vi...
200625   Dick Dynamite: 1944 - Dick D...
200625   Various Artists - Electric Ju...
Latest Articles

Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sharp t...
It’s fair to say the Sharksploitation genre is often tried, tested, and to be honest, tired. Fear Below is a 2025 Australian film that tries to do some...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
280525   The Residents - Visits From T...
090525   Ennaytch - Of walls, abused ...
150425   Dead, Dead Swans interview - ...
110325   Sebastian Tomb - Walls of unb...
040225   Alien Sex Fiend - Possessed B...
231224   Best Of 2024 - Music, Sound &...
191224   Splintered - Somewhere Betwee...
031224   Shane Ryan-Reid - Coerced and...
221024   Whore’s Breath - life’s h...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom