Philippe Petit & Friends – “A Scent of Garmambrosia” – [Aagoo]

Thurston Hunger   7/16/2010   A Library, CD

Not the infamous tightrope walker, but a self-professed
“musical travel agent.” A former DJ, rock critic and scenester
his connections from all three serve him well, as his
musical dinner table includes guests cellists Helena Espvall
and the mightly Fred Lonberg-Holm; Tom Heasley’s tuba tips
in Andy Diagram’s trumped-up trumpet. This is an etch-a-sketch
of a release for spaced heads and Spacehead fans alike. On
Petit’s plate is a laptop of sculpted sounds, cinematic swirls
are the aim here, and there’s evidently a nod to David Lynch
in the title. “Pellicula” sounds like an air from Popol Vuh
that as been altered. Sustained notes or bytes are the common
thread, and vaporized into clouds of lingering tension. As
such, the growl of Herve Vincenti’s guitar adds a welcome bite.
There’s some clicky grit on “The Moon Woman”, not just the
vinyl revived but other sounds that helps to overcome the
ironically domininant amorphousness of this release. Not
necessarily droned, but beautiful.

-Thurston Hunger