Other Music

I wouldn’t normally review a 12″ but Rafael Toral’s “Harmonic Series,” one of the releases featured in Table of the Elements’ new series, was such an engaging listen that I thought it deserved a mention. Each record in this series consists of a colored vinyl 12″ — one side featuring music by one artist and the other side, a beautiful etching that somehow relates to the artist’s work. Toral’s record features a carefully hand drawn map of rivers and other waterways on the b-side, perfectly reflecting the liquid forms that he creates with guitar, analog electronics and computer generated sinewaves. Though Toral is really blurring the edge dissonance in this piece, it is only for a moment before we catch a glimpse of the fluttering harmonics that seem to come from within the overall body of sound. He gets the most out of each note pushing the edges of structure with long sustained notes and mind-bending drones that pull the listener in and out of consciousness. One of Toral’s finest works! Recommended.
[KH]