Mamiffer — Mettapatterning for Constellation
With their new album Mettapatterning for Constellation released on vinyl/ digital form on Sige Records. they presenting us with two "incarnations" of the same composition. The original track was composed for the Sacrum Profanum Festival in Krakow, Poland back in 2017.
This first version here is orchestrated by none other than Eyvind Kang and performed live at the 2017 festival edition by the contemporary ensemble Pó³dzielnia Muzyczna. The second version is the original studio recording of the piece. It was recorded by Coloccia, Turner and drummer Jon Mueller. Both versions definitely have their own charm and it is very nice to hear how composition can develop over time.
Mamiffer sound is not too far away from that of ISIS in a certain aspects – as you find certain arcs of tension within the compositions are clearly reminiscent of the band. however, Mettapatterning for Constellation clearly drifts into more experimental, gloomy and disharmonious areas, contrasted by downright euphoric, light-hearted, baroque chamber pop. Despite Mamiffer rather minimalist structure, they succeed in creating a consistently powerful and opulent orchestral sound that can easily be put within the spheres of Ambient Drone & Doom Metal, though it’s much more multifaceted.
Faith Coloccia carries the two pieces on the album with dreamy piano melodies, that are even more prominently than past Mamiffer releases. Her passages are seductively catchy, accompanied by textures from Ambient and Drone, which gain the upper hand from time to time, just only to ebb away again.
Piano, violin and even flutes, along with guitar, synthesizer, tape machines, organ (and probably an abundance of effects pedals!) form a soundscape that sounds unmistakably Mamiffer from the first to the last minute.
Personally, I recommend starting with the second version first, as we find gloomy Doom is slowly chopped up and slides into gentle piano sounds, which are gradually accompanied by ambient violins. The Doom-like sphere remains. Drum interferences and bell-like sounds join in and let the piece slide over at its highest point into noisy, static structures full of electronic sounds and cutting passages.
There are also cello-like sounds and high-pitched organs.
The climax of the piece has ebbed quality, and the piano starts again, accompanied by grinding electronic textures. The flutes can also be heard again. The piece carries itself and suddenly stands still. The piano sounds softly again, a drone element interferes subliminally and lets everything freeze. Static textures gain the upper hand and silent, gently placed amplified objects let the piece end in a staccato of noise.
The first track, the live version, sounds similar, of course. It's just kind of gentler and catchier. The variations and transitions are almost homogeneous. The difference between the two pieces is mainly to be found in the tonal atmosphere. That may be due to the live recording, but also to the orchestration by Eyvind Kang and his personal touch he added to the piece. Some passages sound more muted, others are more progressive. You can clearly hear that it is a piece that was composed precisely for this purpose: It should be performed by an orchestra!. But maybe it's just my personal impression that results from my artificial hearing
I’d say if you’ve yet to check out Mamiffer so far, I'd recommend starting with their 2016 album The World Unseen and then working your way to 2019’s The Brilliant Tabernacle. Faith Coloccia's voice is simply adorable! And it Something that I rather missing on the album to hand. The drone and noise passages seem downright tame on Mettapatterning for Constellation, but Coloccia's unmistakable melodies are catchy. Overall, the arrangements are much more compact- making this album a four out of five release.