Tongues of Mount Meru — Kalpa

With a cover reminiscent of Merzbow's Pulse Demon, Kalpa is a double CD consisting of an eponymous composition in two parts. Droning and hypnotic, the massive, 100 minute Kalpa moves very slowly, very deliberately, and very intensely. Like a counterpoint to the chaotic and abrasive Pulse Demon mentioned previously, Tongues utilize time to hammer home their oscillating message. With their previous album being based on the Indian Raga "Lalit," one can hear a similar influence within Kalpa's tones and structure. The sheer length and speed of this album could seem imposing from the outside, but when allowed to play, the meaning, message, and rationale makes complete sense. Unlike traditional albums/songs, Kalpa is more of an experience. Sort of a "turn on, tune in, drop out" feeling, one can play this record and be transported to another place, time, or dimension. The combination of different electronic sources and textures gives the album life, and the varied layers, rises, falls, give the listener Kalpa's "history." WIth two well known artists coming together to create this work, the amount of care/detail that goes into these lengthy drones is highly visible. Keeping the work interesting, Kalpa is composed of a few different, long drones seamlessly stitched together and deftly interwoven. Loudly minimalist, these pieces push the envelope and help to further genre definitions. 

 

Tongues of Mount Meru sees two active and talented Norwegian musicians exploring very long form works, challenging both the structure of music and the endurance of the listener. Wonderfully hypnotic, Kalpa is 100 minutes of droning electronics, slowly ambulating and bringing forth a meditative state. Although it's long and slow, it is fairly active overall, and the changes in layers and textures gives Kalpa the depth it needs to carry its heavy run time.