
Marcus Fischer — Collected Dust
On his blog Dust Breeding in 2009, Fischer began documenting his creative pursuits, whether musical, visual, or crafty, and achieved his goal of producing something new every day for a year. The pieces on Collected Dust were originally featured as part of that project and have been curated by M. Ostermeier for Tench Records. Reworked since the original recordings, the end result isn’t vastly different from Fischer’s impressive 2010 debut Monocoastal, though his consistency is a testament to how much of an auteur he is. “Constant,” which opens the record with his signature sound fully intact, seems to hint at self-awareness.
The thirteen-and-a-half minute “Halfway to Six” is the centerpiece of the collection and the only lengthy track; it overstays its welcome despite constantly evolving. Featuring light and slight guitar sounds throughout, it occasionally sounds like a preset from a second generation Buddha Machine and reaches a slightly maddening rhythm at its boiling point that never allows the individual sounds to find footing.
The best piece is “Sixteen Shapes,” which introduces long analogue tones that change dramatically right before they peter out. It reflects extraordinary expertise in impeccable timing on Fischer’s part but ends much too soon. It could also symbolically represent his creative development and bodes well for the future.
