Review - Radere - A Season in Decline

The title of this single track album suggests the music narrates the story of an ending; specifically the passing of a season. A 41 minute piece by Philadelphia-based sound designer Carl Ritger, otherwise known as Radere, 'A Season in Decline' is concerned with transistions in stasis, temperature, mood and light.

Where Radere's Rural Colours release 'Maple Drip' (released late last year) sat much more in the sweetly toned environments of field recordings of water, ambient harmonics and gentle unobtrusive sounds, 'A Season...' is very much the reality of nature in all its uncomfortable detail. Both tracks wander freely, fully exploring their themes, yet this is more apparent in 'A Season' as is loops around and imposes itself on the senses.

Beginning with the recording of someone walking, the air around the microphone used as a continuous subtle back drop. Using delayed and reverbed guitar, Radere progresses the piece into ever more erroded sounds, worn textures and field recordings passing by our ears.  Around the central section, everything becomes less controlled, and more intense. What melody is left from the guitar is but a faint whisper as winds of dust, static and reverb build, eventually reaching a cacophonous loop of raging noise, what sounds like ringing Tibetian bells and angry riotous wails. Unsettling the senses of the listener and demanding attention, the track does eventually come to a resolution, like a light shining through at the end of the tunnel. The noise passes; the listener can relax.

With this piece Radere establishes himself as an artist able to create complex soundscapes which not only cover the usual territory inhabited by ambient music, but encompass a range of other emotions too. 'A Season..' shows his adventurous nature, an ability to push his own boundaries, and challenge the listener.