James Rushford and Joe Talia are two of the most exciting musicians active in the Australian experimental scene, engaged in major collaborative projects with figures such as Jon Rose and Oren Ambarchi. On Paper Fault Line, they use strategies from contemporary composition, improvisation and electro-acoustics to create a sensuous and approachable, yet subtly disturbing, 30-minute suite. Eschewing the homogenized sound palette and dynamic conventions of post-GRM musique concrete, the record is structured as a series of episodes which, though retaining a sense of integrity, constantly threaten to crumble into non-linearity. Instrumental performances (on prepared piano, viola, pipe organ and percussion) and electro-acoustic improvisations (making use of analogue synthesizer, reel-to-reel tape recorder and spring reverb) provide the backbone of the piece and retain their raw, performative feel; these performative elements work equally with the meticulous post-production and editing to create a unique work, where the boundaries between composition, improvisation and electro-acoustic processes are well and truly blurred. Recorded in a detailed and unorthodox fashion with much attention paid to room-tone and acoustic contingencies, Paper Fault Line is a fully formed and challenging work by two unique voices in contemporary music. Featuring a guest appearance from Anthony Pateras on modular synthesizer.
(–) Francis Plagne