Talvihorros - Descent into Delta

'Descent into Delta' is experimental guitarist Ben Chatwin's (aka Talvihorros - from the Finnish word for 'hibernation') second full length on the prolific Hibernate Recordings label. 'Music in Four Movements' on the same label saw him lay down his experiments with guitar, noise and drone - pushing the instruments ability to create myriad sounds, both recognisable and not. Previous works 'It's Already on Fire' and 'Some Ambulance' saw releases on Kaivo Sounds (2008) and Benbecula Records (2009) respectively.

Each track is named after Greek alphabet letters Gamma through to Delta, suggesting a journey, story or at the very least a progression of sound along a fixed pattern. In fact these titles are founded by Chatwin's exploration of our different states of mind creating different wave frequencies - gamma at our most awake, delta when we are asleep. Whilst each are separate tracks, there is a continuous movement in tone and melody that blurs the lines between them, effectively creating a single flowing movement, segmented into phrases. 'Gamma', whose wave frequency in humans typically rests around 40Hz, shares a compact drone with its named frequency emerging from quiet into a singular ringing drone, without ending, the track segues almost un-noticeably into 'Beta'. Guitar notes form underwater star burst melodies, eventually plunging into warm layers of fuzz and noise - wider in formation, beta waves sit between 12-30 Hz. Still conscious, still processing, the rising and falling tensions enact a play of anxieties struggling to be resolved.

'Alpha' waves widen further into smooth, relaxed lines at 8-12hz, most associated with relaxed wakefulness and could be described as the album's most gentle, nurturing piece as if taking us back to an amniotic state. 'Theta' works the longest paths, fully exploring the cavernous journey into sleep before arriving at Delta itself.  The phasing depth of static, feedback and noise is not unfamiliar to the sounds of Tim Hecker, and particularly the movement achieved in his album of earlier this year 'Ravedeath, 1972'. Rather than simply referencing or pastiching Hecker though, Chatwin successfully makes these components his own.

From 'Delta's' dream state vantage point we can look back and see that there is more than just a simple progression in the Chatwin's sound, a maturity and complexity of emotions portrayed in these six tracks is not insignificant. The artist recognises that the success of his work is achieved by a blending of sounds that are the result of both control over his instrument and equipment, and release of this control. In 'Descent into Delta' Chatwin conjures elemental pictures, with a weight of gravity and voluminous space that are impressively rendered. That the album is getting a vinyl release can only add to the depth of sound, I can't recommend this highly enough.

Available on CD and limited vinyl (250 copies each) from Hibernate Recordings

Talvihorros: Gamma/Beta by hibernate

http://talvihorros.bandcamp.com/album/descent-into-delta
www.talvihorros.co.uk
www.hibernate-recs.co.uk