Graminaea / Poaceae is one of those releases that I love but have an extremely difficult time explaining just what draws me to the release over and over again other than that I find all three pieces rather soothing in a creepy sort of way (of course as with any work of this nature, what you get out of the listening experience is determined largely by the venue of the listening and the amount of attention granted to the piece or album). Maybe my difficulty comes from the fact that for many of the times that this album was playing on my headphones or stereo, I was quite content to use the three pieces as background music for the work on which I was actually concentrating; but, then again, even when fully concentrating on Graminaea / Poaceae, I still get that same creepy vibe that is partially soothing as neither Sequences nor Isolated Existence ever truly unnerves me over the almost hour running time of this record. Regardless of just how moving the pieces are, I still find myself being repeatedly drawn to listening to these three pieces, and it is exceedingly difficult to deny such urges because the album is quite excellent.
While both artists are similar in the final product of their individual pieces, they both bring a unique method to that end; and the collaborative track only further cements the similarities as “Liliopsida” is a perfect melding of the two methodologies creating a great end to the album. Sequences uses oscillating sounds, a touch of vocals, and some other sounds to create the vibe in “Graminaea”, which is moody and hypnotically infectious; Isolated Existence creates a somewhat tense and claustrophobic feel to “Poaceae” through the laying down of a thick atmospheric sound (almost like a constant but far off thunderstorm) that envelopes and conceals some of the other noises and sound elements (making for some strained but rewarding listening when paying close attention to the piece).
The execution of the “record” is great with a track each from Sequences and Isolated Existence and then an equally impressive collaborative effort that just takes the whole effort up several notches in my book, bringing a fantastic closing statement to the fore on Graminaea / Poaceae. An excellent release that is more than just an impressive exercise in ambient or drone or musique concrete, Graminaea / Poaceae is a great document of two outfits knowing just what to do in creating an immersive atmosphere.?
