Whistle Pig Saloon CD reviews!
WPS reviewed by Brian Morton in the July 2009 issue of The Wire and by Brian Olewnick of Just Outside:
‘…Whistle Pig Saloon - s/t…Van Heuman is also half of this duo, along with guitarist John Ferguson. Equal parts STEIM-y electro-acousticism and raunchy guitar noise, the latter sometimes reminding me of Kaiser in his Synclavier period. Itchier than ‘Stranger’, it might find more favor among post-Zorn enthusiasts. Some good work (the piece “Hogg blog” stood out for me), but a bit too much in that hyperactive sprawl zone for my taste.’ Brian Olewnick.
Also reviewed by Jliat for the 676 May issue of Vital Weekly:
‘The idea of repetition in the film Ground Hog Day (aka whistle pig day) is that the past as the future can be re inscribed with novelty, and appears in a more opaque form in the writings of Deleuze and Guattari - an opacity in part given by a certain reading of Nietzsche which carefully removes - “of the self same” - which is cool - as it arises out of a long line of (lit) critters, I.A. Richards, William Empson, William K. Wimsatt, Monroe Beardsley, F.R. Leavis as well as Roland Barthes, Jacques Derrida, Paul de Man, Geoffrey Hartman et al. so allowing the “re-appropriating a previous moment.” It opens up I suppose a conscious re-evaluation - re-working of difference - to and with the pioneers of modernity such as Cage and Tudor. And so techniques become -re-new-ed. However one criticism needs to be addressed which is scientism - these works were produced in a culture *lab* - how immune from the Sokal affair? - but for myself at this moment more importantly the serious reality of Nietzsche’s eternal return of the same as a not knowing identical experience, “this spider.. moonlight…”, “the most scientific” not literary idea, a la Markov. “John configures the electric guitar as a site for multiple simultaneous points of interaction and queries the iconic cultural status of his instrument via feet, fingers and feedback. Robert crunches, growls and smashes both John`s live sampled sound as well as his private stack of industrial bits and organic beats.” Either there is nothing new - or there is endless novelty - “two cultures”?’
Whistle Pig Saloon CD CS160 available now from Creative Sources Recordings or visit my shop to buy direct via PayPal, credit or debit card.
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