Clive Henry offers up some of the most creative, thought- provoking, and cleverly put together HNW/ANW with-in today’s world-wide scene.  Even on his lesser/not so rewarding recording there are always worthy moments.  “Matting Rituals – II” is a full length CDR release that appeared on Netherlands based  Muzikaal Kabaal in late summer 2012- it came in a edition of 18 copies.

The CDR features six tracks in all, and these last between just over two  minutes  to just shy of the twenty nine minute mark. The tracks move from: rumbling low-end roast meets jittering crisp static bleak wall dwells. To unsettling sonic constructs built from odd warbling male vocals. Onto  subtle circling ‘n’ scraping sound-scape, baying/ quacking mixes of electronics & drone matter, which latter  on moves into crisp jittering yet meatyHNW that’s underfed by  drilling yet ominous drone dwells. Onto disorienting soundart that mixers together the sound of paper been ripped from a note pad, strange amassed cat calls & airplane fly over field recordings, footstep recordings, and various other animal based field recordings. Onto more lengthy journeys that move from muffled wind-tunnel like ANW dwells, onto amped-up  more throbbing, billowing & roaring  active HNW constructions. Through to more locking down fixed wall noise territory, before descending in to thinner static crackling rain based texturing. Onto distant drone rumbles that build up slow scabs of crackling static. Through to un-leased buzzing & ringing electrified sustained harsh noise dwells.                                      

For me “Matting Rituals – II” felt more like a collection of tracks instead of a cohesive album, and also while the tracks were mostly clever & creative at times some did seem to wonder on for their own sake.  With releases like  2012’s “XIII” Mr Henry created a strange, intriguing, odd & brutal sound trip you could take in one go, in contrast “Matting Rituals – II” feels more like a few odd & mostly rewarding detours instead of a full & rewarding trip.