Chain DLK

Over the last few months, Michael Page has been gaining more and more recognition for his main project, Fire In The Head, which is a fierce power electronics/harsh noise beast. Sky Burial surely doesn't lack power and emotional strength, but works on a more atmospheric and less aggressive level. This self-titled cdr, recorded over a two-year period and released by the excellent Housepig label in a silk-screened canvas bag (incidentally reminding me of many emo-HC records from the 90's), is a little gem indeed. "To Mock a Killing Bird" opens with an epic cascade of bowed string loops and pummelling percussion, combining cyclic drones with a sort of industrial rock feel à la Skullflower or a non-doom Nadja. The following tracks are more straightforward drone pieces, with more ecstatic bowing ("There Are Dragonflies At Dawn", "Distant Dissonance Disappearing"), metallic rumbles ("Smokescreen") and the sinking into darker waters of "Awaking From Someone Else's Dream", which will surely appeal to any Troum fan. The final piece, "Frostfire", is also the most dissonant one, apparently being constructed only on skipping cd sounds. Page manages to weave his tapestries of drones and loops in an instantly captivating way, though often keeping a simple structure - what he uses works right from the start and to the end, which is a fundamental quality in ambient music. All in all, this eponymous cdr is a bracing debut, showing that Page already has a mature and personal style. Get it fast, as the 150 copies are selling out quickly.