Howard Stelzer — Brayton Point

The Dokura imprint presents Brayton Point by long-running noise artist Howard Stelzer. Available on CD from the label or digitally (through Stelzer direct), Brayton Point represents Stelzer’s first solo album since 2008. Despite being active since the mid-90’s, my experience with Stelzer’s output is minut at best. He’s one of those artists I’ve had on a list to check out for some time, but I’ve never quite got around to listening to his recordings in earnest. So when I saw this album in my review queue, I was quite eager to give it a spin.

Brayton Point is a large coal and fossil fuel power station in Somerset, MA. In operation since the 1960’s, a town and suburbs formed and expanded around the power station. And while, no doubt, an economic generator in it’s prime, it also came under scrutiny for public health and environmental concerns. The plant is currently scheduled for closure in 2017. Stelzer, simultaneously repulsed and amazed by power plants, set out to create an album that captured how he conceived of these enormous structures in his imagination. To that end, Stelzer swimmingly succeeds.

Brayton Point is one massive 49:28 track, crafted from field recordings of the power station and then channeled through his medium of choice: magnetic tape. The piece is thick and engulfing...a slowly evolving swell of dense atmospherics and high end resonance. Dwell deep enough and it’s hard to not feel swallowed by it’s sonic smoke plumes. Other sounds churn underneath the surface: machinery sounds, ghostly wails, random clang and shimmering tones. It all unravels at a snail’s pace, slowly and methodically, picking up steam and becoming thicker and thicker as time ticks away. Stuff like this always reminds me of the soundscapes found on Eraserhead, which to me is more chilling than the actual film itself. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart or for the ADD challenged, but for those with patience and a love for steady drone, the payoff is there.

I enjoy noise that is dense, atmospheric, and slow building and Brayton Point really delivers on those sounds.  Now it’s time to check out his back catalog...pronto!