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Grdina/Lillinger: Duo Work
ByGrdina and Lillinger appeared together most recently on Live at the Armoury (Clean Feed, 2023), a trio project with violist Mat Maneri which revealed the many nuances of Grdina's contributions on both oud and guitar, in a sympathetic setting which generated lengthy, winding dialogues between the musicians. This release, by comparison, allows Grdina to turn it loose with hard-charging, gritty attacks which catalyze Lillinger's most demonstrative side as well; the onslaughts come in brief bursts, with twelve incisive tracks in just 38 minutes. Utilizing his creativity on midi-guitar to illustrate yet another facet of his craft, thoughtful multitracking allows Grdina to add layers to these pieces which render them a good deal more than just guitar-drum freakouts.
The music moves with irrepressible energy, with the relentless propulsion of "Song One" a case in point, as Grdina adds multiple intricate guitar parts on top of Lillinger's frenetic barrages. "Ash" is even more hard-driving, with Grdina's fierce licks pushing Lillinger into a manic punk-jazz realm. Lillinger is a masterful shapeshifter, and Grdina is the perfect counterpart for his anything-goes aesthetic. The sheer freneticism of his rhythmic discharges on "Bunker" even threaten to overshadow Grdina's own fearsome, fuzzed-out riffage.
A few brief digressions do emerge, such as "Gerhard," a vehicle for Lillinger's exploration of texture, or "Big Blue," Grdina's spacey dialogue between guitar and electronics. But the music truly hits its stride with the heavy thunder of "Encounters," a substantial blast of energy from both players, merging their distinctive voices (and a number of different parts from Grdina) into a seven-minute concentration of firepower which finally dissolves into a moody, atmospheric conclusion (albeit not without one last manic surge from Lillinger).
With the ideal mixture of technical brilliance and gut-punch intensity, Duo Work should appeal to a wide range of adventurous listeners.
Track Listing
Song One; Dissolution; Impala; Bunker; Ash; Encounters; Pixilated; Jalopy; Gerhard; Big Blue; Traverse; Song Two.
Personnel
Gordon Grdina
oudChristian Lillinger
drumsAdditional Instrumentation
Gordon Grdina: guitar, Midi-guitar; Christian Lillinger: percussion,
Album information
Title: Duo Work | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Attaboygirl Records
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