White/Lichens

They Say...

Review by Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Bookended by two lengthy songs that almost literally encircle and overwhelm the shorter pieces in between them, the collaborative release between the White/Light duo and Robert Lowe (aka Lichens) is a strong blast of experimental psychedelic guitar drone; if not strikingly unique, it's still a good base to build on for possible future efforts. On the face of it, the trio's approach is simple but effective -- opening song "Cimejes" is little more than a series of overlapping sustained feedback wails and reverb waves, but so arranged to create tension and anticipation, like something is slowly rising into view and waiting to claw its way forward rather than simply relaxing in luxuriant sound. The addition of piano some time in leavens the impact, but after a bit it's all back to the way that the guitar feedback both maintains a careful rhythm and constantly breaks it, moving toward a last rolling stretch of choppy, murky sound. "Bael," the album-ender, starts much more dramatically with louder howls of white noise, while the piano that appears here much more often and clearly acts mostly as a gentle anchor in the chaos, slightly reminiscent of the similar blend of the overwhelming and the calm in a group like Flying Saucer Attack but with its own distinct style. Of the three shorter mid-album pieces, each contributes to the overall atmosphere of downbeat mood-setting via further guitar improvisation, though less dramatically than the bookenders. "Stolas" is almost barely there, and similarly "Amdusias" almost requires cranking up the volume to hear what's going on (though the sense of delicately nervous atmosphere created is extremely good -- like Main but less obsessed with loops and looming disaster), but "Belial" is a dramatic improvement, factory-metal-grinding sounds via feedback set with a counterpoint in a quietly screeching, radio signal-like element.