Arboreal — Contemplation
The white shelled cassette comes in a clear case- with each white sleeve taking in a black hand-drawn shape/ texts, with the tape it’s self been individually dubbed. The front cover features a small dotted circle, with texts on the spine & large lettered track listing inside. These where ltd to just ten copies, and sadly are all now sold out- so ones only option is the digital download.
The Arboreal project started back in 2019- with so far around ten releases to its name. It’s one of the sonic ventures of Bangkok based Polwach Beokhaimook- who is behind wall project Unsignified Death, runs the arty walled-noise label Perpetual Abjection, and plays drums in several Thai death metal/grindcore bands. Looking at Arboreal's Bandcamp & Discogs listing the themes of the project seem to be rather nature/ landscape based.
The tracks here each run at spot on the thirty-minute mark, and simply titled Contemplation I & II. So first up we have “I”- here we find Beokhaimook creating an almost 3D like wall quality- that finds a constant & even spitting rain like texture, which is darted and edged by a selection crunch, pop, scrape & snapping textures. I’d say it feels akin to watching a spring rainstorm from the vantage point of a cave opening- with the cave behind you adding its own trickles, watery knocks & ebbs, and distant rushing. In the last ten minutes or so- more activity, gritty pop ‘n’ scratch get added into the mix, and brought to my mind slippy & slimy creatures coming out of the rain- to start to crawl ‘n’ scrape up your body frame & face.
Flipping over to “II”, and the more agitated end of the last track continues- with the backings constantly pelting & lashing static been joined by a selection of scraps, ridged rubs, and knocks. If the first track found you staring at the rain from a cave, then getting attacked by strange slippery creatures. This ‘wall’ finds you in the same cave, but the rains has got worse & more lashing- you’ve set up a fire, and you’re cooking the creatures- as their bodies pop, split & burst in the flames. In its last ten or so minutes, the textures become( possible) a little more even in their layout- but I’m not totally sure if this really happening or it’s a trick of the ‘wall’.
Contemplation is a rewarding, at points fairly atmospheric example of the textured noise form. Beokhaimook certainly has a good ear for satisfying & involving texture selection, and he balances them all together well. Pity this went out of print in its tape form so fast, and certainly well worth a look if you like detailed textured noise making. Head here to get hold of the DL