Bowles, Nathan & Verrastro, Scott – “Polar Satellites” – [Mie]

Naysayer   10/2/2013   12-inch, A Library

On the Mie label, Nathan Bowles (of Pelt) and Scott Verrastro (of Kohoutek) have joined forces to create a dynamic display of percussive improvisation. The seven tracks show a diverse use of many things percussive, which means you can bang on most anything to get an interesting sound. And they do. The tracks progress from quiet to loud, from random sounds to more rhythmic percussive patterns and bursts, and from plonks and blinks to a structured beat. The first several tracks are the quietest and it moves forward. What I really like is that 5 of the 7 tracks are under five minutes in length. Two thumbs up for getting to the point. Bang on something and play it!