Rafael Toral | Violence of Discovery and Calm of Acceptance
Touch | CD
Rafael Toral's first album for Touch, 'Violence of Discovery and Calm of Acceptance' was crafted over a seven year period between 1993 and 2000. It shows.
Barring "a recording of silence during a space shuttle mission real time webcast" on 'Mixed States Uncoded' Toral states that, "every sound was released by electric guitars". The result is one of the most beautiful guitar-generated albums you could possibly imagine.
'Violence of Discovery…' defies easy categorisation. As its gestation period doubtless indicates, it's much, much more than an album of guitar-generated drones. Toral's attention to detail and eye for subtlety is rarely matched and are qualities that set this release apart.
Opening with the massed glissando of 'Desiree' sets the scene perfectly. Dense clusters of harmonics - which deserve a pair of quality headphones - glisten across the space of four minutes of sustained harmonies before easing gently into the wonderfully titled and evocative 'Measurement of Noise'. 'We are Getting Closer' is four minutes of pure heaven - the rippling sounds of water lapping against a distant shore…
Closing with 'Mixed States Uncoded', is about as close to spine-tingling perfection as you could imagine. A slow grumble with high frequency counterpoint and a melody of sheer beauty, it unfolds slowly, but surely. A suggestion of beauty, wonderful.
[CM]
