Ellen Fullman — Through Glass Panes

Put Through Glass Panes by Ellen Fullman on the headphones and what do you hear? A bit of Tony Conrad? Patrice Moullet? Achim Reichel? Sounds vaguely akin to the Aeolian harp, perhaps? Passing evocations of Alan Lamb-like sounds drifting down lonely wires? There may even be hints of those sonorities found in L. Shankar’s more pallid musical pieces. This is definitely a release which brings forth memories of many past drone/ experimental string explorations on cd and lp, some exciting and others not-so. 

Through Glass Planes is Ellen Fullman’s first full-length release for Important Records. With and without collaborators, Fullman makes varying use of her “Long String Instrument”; an “installation of dozens of wires fifty feet or more in length, tuned in ‘just intonation’ and ‘bowed’ with rosin-coated fingers”. Fullman has previously collaborated with some exceptional musical personages, such as Keiji Haino, Pauline Oliveros, and The Kronos Quartet, along with dronesters Barn Owl and Eleh. When all combined this makes for some rather lofty expectations and hopes of some exciting music on hand…

And you might be disappointed. Guess you could throw bits of Adorno or Attali at the music and get some freaky post-mod action going on or something but it just does not seem worth the energy. Reading a book or two from some academic press about ‘sound art’ would help, perhaps? Yet, any conceptualizing or artistic contextualizing pretty much falls away at some point and one eventually confronts the music itself…..which though quite nice in parts, just cannot sustain enough interest to be involving. Yeah I like the vaguely Bartok-ian bits (“Through Glass Panes”) and the droning can get quite majestic and melancholy-ish (“Flowers”, “Never Gets Out of Me”), but something is missing. And that something is a way into the music…..even some sort of throwaway arty ‘hook’ would help. I do enjoy  some of that droney music, but Through Glass Planes as a whole is rather dishwater-bland. On my headphones the pieces with violin and cello (“Flowers”, “Never Gets Out of Me”) were the most effective and enjoyable.

When instrument or technology seems to be as important as the music, one wonders if the whole is conceptually and artistically mature enough to be a truly satisfying listening experience. Ellen Fullman’s obvious focus on process may engage some, providing a needed musical depth. All I can say in the end is that I feel the music lacks something, making Through Glass Planes a listenable album but hardly an essential one.