It turns out that sometimes, at least in music, long-distance relationships can actually work out. Perhaps no other group epitomized that more than the Postal Service, whose very moniker divulges how the electronically minimalist band communicates ideas. Now listeners can add to that short list: the similarly-inspired 12000 Miles, whose debut As the White Crane Flies as assembled from e-mail, filesharing, and general computerized means by UK experimentalist Drongomala and the Kiwi-based Boofa, both of whom met on MySpace. As physically isolated as a musical collaboration can bear, Crane breaks little in the way of boundaries, but is enjoyable all the same, manic enough to remain interesting without grating audience's patience.
Part of the album's inherent charm is found in its surprising reliance on non-digital accompaniments. British flutist Iain Dixon plays a starring role on many tracks, a strange if interesting centerpiece amid all the crushed beeps and programming. And, if the contrast wasn't already jarring enough, it is often Dixon and Dixon alone who carries the melody, often a jazzy, pernicious ad lib treated to sparkling distortion. If nothing else, the production choice lends Crane a distinctive organic quality, especially on offerings like "Thermal Riders," whose pairing of shattered electronic stabs, guitar, and Dixon's writhing flute seems worthy for Vangelis' now-legendary Blade Runner orchestrations.
There is, however, a schizophrenic quality which prevents Crane from reaching more stellar heights. True to its spliced origins, the album offers tracks like "Cranes Vs. Pygmies," a spur-of-the-moment, half-jazz, half-electronic jam session that doesn't really add up to much other than to show off some of 12000 Miles' audacity at the effects filters. Unfortunately, much of the album falls into the same trap: "Man Encroaches" is a failed attempt at random ambience, while the pulsing, rhythmic "Tsuru" never manages to captivate as it should.
In the end, what ultimately hinders As the White Crane Flies is its lacks of cohesion. The long-distance gimmick is certainly an early glimpse at music collaboration in the age of social networking, but fails to deliver beyond the initial promise of its setup. While 12000 Miles and their work are interesting and polished conversation pieces, both could use a fair dose of intimacy to offset the "art for art's sake" posturing.
June 28, 2009
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