The duo of Michael Gendreau and Suzanne Dycus have released work under the name Crawling with Tarts since 1983, on their own ASP label as well as RRRecords, Realization Recordings, and Amoebic, along with a large number of pieces on compilations. Their works are generally conceptual, and have included several "operas," as they study structured noise, often derived from mechanical objects or transcription discs. The development of their sound has included working with clauses of sound or vocal excerpts, which are coordinated into musical statements. Gendreau's work in particular is informed by acoustic physics and noise impact, and research into infrasonic and audible sound. This latest, and perhaps last, release from CWT clears out the archives, presenting two large works originally developed and performed between 1994-1997.
Ochre Land, Blue Blue Skies was composed by Michael Gendreau and
incorporates conceptual ideas from Dycus, utilizing instruments designed by each. The work was premiered on April 11, 1997 in San Francisco at a concert organized by Tim Perkins, who created a binaural recording of the piece. Portions of that recording were used as source material for this studio release. The piece is 34 minutes long, a journey into sound with a dynamic from near silence building to enormous sound. The composition starts with something like a toy being wound, then carefully builds into squelchy and disruptive sounds over a bed of vacuuming and static, a fuzzily building section that resolves into shimmering electronics over muffled dumpster noises and high pitched electronic tones. This passes back to near silence, only to build into a sort of washing machine cycle over rotating static, with what sounds like a dozen bar drinks being mixed quickly at once. The momentum intensifies then quickly drops the larger noise floor, leaving a coordinated set of diminishing sounds, as once again the sound winds up. A final dropping and shrieking of electronics ends the work, dispelling the long tension of this massive work.
Grand Surface Noise Opera Nr. 7: The Decadent Opera (Rococo) was premiered on October 18, 994 in San Francisco. Rococo refers to something ornate or elaborate, which aptly describes this more complex and generally more fun release. Using the aforementioned transcription discs and the sounds of a children's piano over static and noise, voices murmur or gently speak, crows caw, while static whistles and cries. This eventually builds to a series of unrelated phrases in various languages, with the scratchy sound of vinyl persisting and tinting the sound. The piece develops to a coordination of voice, several female voices reading separate letters aloud, split in the stereo image. Recordings of ancient bands and strident male voices are juxtaposed with the simplistic beauty of older orchestration styles. Commercial voices and modern recording then slip in, with radio voices and images taking the lead. The piece continues as a series of resolutions, music, voice, advertising and instruction in a muddle of voices and ideas, a gentle and fascinating cacophony. As this phase passes dramatic musics take hold, 50's styled pieces from westerns, horrors and love stories, juxtaposed with a sound like a pneumatic stapler and an errant alien space ship, both of which eventually superimpose themselves over the sappier sounds. Organ and church sounds then enter and start looping in an oddly rhythmic way, as the child's piano returns stamping out an arpegggio of sorts. It's quite a journey, a fascinatingly jumbled melange of sound and voice.
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