- Drifting from start to finish, In 8 Movements is like slowly getting pulled down a drain. Only it isn't your physicality that moves, but rather the world around you—and somehow your intangible being with it. While the journey is strange enough, there is also an air of mystery around the origins of In 8 Movements: The original Discogs entry used to link to an obscure '70s artist on Polydor. Now corrected, there is no information at all, whereas the official website only reveals "drones for bleeding hearts." (In addition, there have been a host of different versions of In 8 Movements on different labels, including cassettes and limited 7-inch reels.)
Sonically, you can draw comparisons between what labels like Type and Kranky often suggest, but none of them fully explain In 8 Movements. The opening movement sounds like Leyland Kirby covering Godspeed You Black Emperor in slow motion, while the second is cavernous and darkly angelic. Somewhere in the middle of this continually evolving album of modern classical/drone, the continuum breaks into grainy strains of "real" music, a classical waltz, then church music that sounds as if it's coming from another room, until it all fades to grey.
There is a feeling of being watched as the climax slowly approaches. Perhaps it is the inkling of spirituality in the distant bells and the edge of voices as they slip away? The fear that there might be something else out there fires a desperate but futile escape, as waves of drones reach a crescendo. Eventually, the reverie is broken. But because it's such a captivating and powerful work, you'll likely want to get dragged right back into it yet again.
Tracklist01. Part I
02. Part II
03. Part III
04. Part IV
05. Part V
06. Part VI
07. Part VII
08. Part VIII