Causa Sui

Pewt'r Sessions 3

Written by: BV on 26/08/2014 09:57:52

Well, Causa Sui has, for quite a while now, been one of those bands on the Danish scene that I have kept a keen eye on. With their dazzling “Euporie Tide” I saw no other option than to surrender to the magnificently structured sonic escapades and their overwhelming musicianship. However, there is also another aspect of Causa Sui – one which serves as a sort of musical counterpoint to that of ‘structured’ albums like “Euporie Tide”. Their newest effort in that aspect is the three-track album “Pewt’r Sessions 3”. The “Pewt’r Sessions” albums offer up a much more improvisational side of Causa Sui which borders on free-form kraut-freakouts and the avant-garde style which is usually neglected quite heavily in the contemporary psych scene.

In a sense, I can see – or rather hear – why that could possibly be. Album opener “Abyssal Plain” opens like a sort of atmospheric journey with instrumental noodling being particularly bountiful. As the track gradually takes shape, the guitar becomes quite dominant, in spite of the drumming’s quite natural drive which essentially pushes the rather experimental effort forward. However, when one has first grown accustomed to the monolithic songwriting of Causa Sui’s more controlled efforts, an experimental effort like this can easily fall to the ground. While being a curious piece of music in itself, which it is easy to mentally drift away to, it is still not spellbinding enough to warrant a large number of listens in the long haul.

“Incipiency Suite” on the other hand, stands as a fairly strong improvisational track which borders on the sounds of Germany’s Electric Moon and their similar fondness for improvised goodies. – Without ever obtaining the same sort of heavy, doom-reminiscent sounds, which I doubt they’re going for anyway. With its 26 minutes or so, “Incipiency Suite” sounds like something that could have been the score for a sci-fi epic of a dystopian future or, perhaps, a venture into the darkest corners of the vast emptiness of space. Either way it sounds otherworldly at times, whilst other moments sound tediously monotonous. There is a very delicate balance between the two on this track, and those moments where the droning noises overwhelm the soundscape sadly border mostly on the monotonous. While there are definitely some exciting moments on this album, I still can’t quite dig it. Compared to the structured writing of Causa Sui it seems sub-par, but in terms of their contemporary improvisational peers, it all sounds pretty solid, but still not spectacular. This is a rare moment, as I think I may have found the first Causa Sui effort I haven’t fallen hopelessly in love with. There’s always a first, but luckily I’m sure that there are others out there who might appreciate it far more than I am currently capable of.

Download: Incipiency Suite
For The Fans Of: Papir, Jakob Skøtt, Electric Moon
Listen: Facebook

Release date 18.08.2014
El Paraiso Records


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