Charlie Schmidt
"Xanthe Terra" CD
Strange Attractors Audio
House
Genres: American Primitive
guitar, acoustic folk, instrumental folk
Strange Attractors
PO Box 13007
Portland OR
97213-0007
Nov 22 - 28 2005 |
With Xanthe Terra Strange Attractors brings
us the latest in American Primitive guitar music, rooted firmly in the
traditions of John Fahey and label highlight Steffen Basho-Junghans.
Schmidt boasts a very accessible, easy-to-handle style, creating
hand-woven acoustic folk tracks filled with mood and melody. Simple
key shifts produce mesmerizing sounds; deeply embedded melodies become
apparent over multiple listens. The best part about the record is its
consistency - from start to finish, Schmidt's moodpieces
enchant and enthrall. Be it the looming tension of "Samba De Xanthe
Terra" or the jovial Southern accent of "Doggie Blues," this disc
never fails to keep you entwined. Two of the most notable pieces are
"For Olivia" - which is rich in sparse but intense melodic motifs -
and "Slavic Mountain," a piece based on the melody to Peer Gynt.
Schmidt's way of producing subtle,
slowly-appreciable compositions is what makes this such a wonderful
record. Fans of new acoustic music have got to be track down Xanthe
Terra immediately.
87%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 13 tracks, distributed by
the label, released 2005] |
