You've heard of the eye of the storm, and the calm that exists
there; William Hooker's music finds serenity by leaning straight into the
gale-force wind. His drumming is a study in brutal power; pummeling,
relentless, dragged along by a wild kick drum attack that carves cross
hatched designs across his dense patterns.
He leads his ensemble from the front, and each player adds a layer to the
group's weighty sound. Even by
Hooker's standards, this is an especially dense and demanding recording.
The two guitarists generate raw noise in thick bandwidths while synthesizer
player Doug Walker and saxophonist Richard Keene splash neon Pollock
streams and blood-hued splatters across the group's impenetrable wall of
sound.
Hooker understands that pressure is best felt when it's varied, so
he periodically lightens the load by having one or more lay out from time
to time. But overall it's an extreme sound, joyously exhilarating to
experience.
If you like William Hooker, check out:
Nels Cline and Thurston Moore Pillow Wand
Joe Morris Many Rings
John Coltrane Interstellar Space
Thurston Moore/Tom Surgal Klangfarbenmelodie
William Hooker Mindfulness
Tortoise + The Ex In The Fishtank
Sonic Youth Confusion is Sex
Lee Ranaldo/William Hooker Clouds
Borbetomagus Experience The Magic
