Review : Joe Foster - Ethics (self-released)

As one half of the duo English with Bonnie Jones, Joe Foster is responsible for producing some of the more compelling music that came out last year. Using digital delay pedals and a trumpet, English produce searing sounds that fill the listening area. At one moment the sounds gently ebb and flow and the next minute the tones and frequencies attack and punish. It's not relaxing music by any stretch of the imagination but it really resonates and has immeasurable impact upon at least this listener.

So this brings us to the current release in question, "Ethics". I didn't actually know this was called ethics at first as the disc contains no information, other than a discreet "jf" on the disc itself and a symbol that appears to be Asian on the back cover. So you'll have to take my word for it that this thing is actually called "ethics".

Regardless of the anonymity of the title and the tracks therein, Ethics is a great listen. It doesn't explore the same broken electronic sounds as the English recordings, instead it relies upon metallic drones and subtle layering. From these basic ingredients, Foster summons compositions mystical in nature. The drones sustain and oscillate, carrying the listener with them at all times. It's very easy to lose track of time when immersed in these tracks, which is always a good sign. The breathy nature of many of the sounds leads me to believe that Foster has utilised Trumpet in most of, if not all of these invocations.

Tracks 1-3 follow a fairly similar formula. Droning soundscapes are created and save for fluctuations in the drones and layers themselves, there's little deviation. In less skilled hands this could be a recipe for utter boredom but Foster is able to play upon the uncontrollable nature of the drones and the delicacy of the composition in a fascinating way. As a listener I find myself transfixed, waiting for the train to derail and at the same time hoping that it won't.

Things don't really change an awful lot until the final track. Roughness creeps in. Sounds are interrupted. The familiar English fingerprint seeps into the proceedings. The drones are pitched lower, the atmosphere is darker. Nigh pitch tones escape every now and then. It's exhilarating in the best sense of the word. Foster doesn't employ cheap tactics. The development is natural, the roughness seems necessary. It's the right way to end an album that lulls you almost completely into comfort over the course of the first three quarters.

Ethics may not be as easy to come by as it should be. For anyone familiar with English(if you're not there's an mp3 sample available on the above link), I imagine that you'd find much to enjoy from this disc. Ethics is well worth your time.

As far as I know, Ethics is currently only available via ErstDist.

**EDIT** I have since received confirmation from Mr. Foster himself that this disc is indeed called "Ethics" and furthermore, each track has a title. They are as follows:

1. Our Very Existence Wields a Certain Power
2. It's a Wonder We Don't Break Into Song
3. I Better Move, I Better Get Out Of Here
4. The Only Haircut That Makes Sense Anymore

I was also given some insight into the sources of the sounds, but rather than revamp the entire review I'll just leave the mystery hanging.

Here are some links to free Joe Foster material. Some great stuff here:
http://www.rasbliutto.net/artists/josephfoster.html
http://www.homophoni.com/homo013.html
A duo with Choi Joonyong:
http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/listen/001531.html