'ALLUVIAL' REVIEW Boomkat (August 2006) Matt Rösner is an Australian sound artist, and ‘Alluvial’ is his second album and fittingly it has been released on the ever-reliable Room40 label, a refuge for Australian experimentalists. I must say this is one of my very favourite discs on the expansive label, it fuses acoustic sampling (Xylophones, small percussive instruments etc) with processed field recordings and light synthesis to produce a sound which is both unique and engrossing. The opening track ‘Lost in the Shift’ illustrates this beautifully with a haunting three-note melody drifting over deep bass tones, while something happens far away in the background – maybe it’s a car going by or possibly something else entirely. I could compare much of this work to fellow Aussie fellow Oren Ambarchi, as the sense of tempered calm found in works such as ‘Grapes from the Estate’ is also apparent here, yet Rösner’s vision is decidedly more small-screen. These compositions are homespun and sound deeply personal, it’s experimental music with heart if you will and that’s what sets Rösner apart from his contemporaries. Interestingly, Rösner has an album coming out on the lovely Apestaartje label (home of Mountains) quite soon, so get hold of ‘Alluvial’ now to see what the fuss is all about before you’re beaten to it...
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