Chen Santa Maria – “Chen Santa Maria” – [Zum Media]

loun   9/22/2010   7-inch, A Library

George and Steven serve up a thick shiny platter of sonic wonderment. At first I thought it was a determined dredging of the sea floor for sounds that had lost their way and were hiding under rocks hoping not to be eaten by sharks. Then I realized that the intended play speed was probably 45, so I tried that, and heard the sound of all the dredging machinery the two men bent to their will. On a hunch, I played it at 78, which yielded the dialogue between the machines, who wondered if they had free will or were merely following a preordained plan. We’ll never know, as these machines were stolen shortly after this record was made. The A side is resonant/driving/chattery, depending on the speed you choose, the B side epochal/climactic/desperate. Post-rock + noise = poise. Unsafe at any speed.