The following two reviews are on ?arcane nocturne?'s three cassette-tape releases (nocturne second, third and fourth), all feature communion. The fourth nocturne is a split-release between communion and the sss project.
Arcane Nocturne, the Virginia-based label
responsible for the "...of poetry and pornography..." compilation. . . sent
three tapes of current projects. All three feature communion, a group of
musicians who create fascinatingly dark and organic sound collages. There are no
titles given for these pieces, so it's hard to itemize them one by one. On through
dreams of reckless sleep, there is a piece that incorporates parts of Duran Duran's
"The Chauffer", though you have to think before you recognize it, it's so
deconstructed. The rest of the pieces float somewhere in the abyss between noise and
melody. There are a lot of fascinating textures here. According to the letter
that came with the tapes, the pieces are constantly being deconstructed and reconceived,
and every performance is different. Which means that all tapes of communion are, in
essence, historical artifacts never to be repeated. All of Arcane Nocturne 's
releases are highly recommended to those interested in darkly fascinating musical
experiences.
---Nanette, Industrial Nation #15
A twisted madness steals over me, secret messages
are there for my saddened mind to reach out and take, take to heart, leave this room ,
flee screaming into the darkening night. . . drawn by these minstrels of chaos.
Ninety-minute sessions of obsessive fancy, swirling aether and sinister voice, failing
thought and dreamtime scapes. Highly recommended.
---CLK, Codex Obscura
their despair in gentle things
[nocturne second]
Although this is a demo cassette, there is enough
material on here for a full-length CD and enough musical variety for three bands.
communion run the gamut from dark, electronic soundscapes, chaotic industrial rhythms,
ominous chanting and screaming vocals. Overall, one of the most ambitious efforts I've
ever witnessed on a demo tape. A worthwhile wellproduced tape.
---The Ohm Clock Magazine #4
...This spontaneity is what makes communion's music so incredible...The music is a fluid,
changing organism that is astounding even after repeated listenings.
---The Times of Howard Community College,
April, 1995.
communion, dernier projet en date de l'animateur des precedents groupes, la encore petite
deception: les bons moments sont noyes sous les incursions industrielles tapageuses. Une
musique sombre et torturee sans aucun doute.
---Concept (France).
Creepy, ominous synthesizer and samples, tribal
drumming, distorted vocals. Low-fi gothic misery to pop in at the next holiday
party.
---Ann Koi Zine [can't remember the
exact name]
through dreams of reckless
sleep
[nocturne third]
90 minutes of distorted guitars, feedback, keyboard,
voices (gothic male vox's), samples, drum programs--all fitting together to form what
would be best a soundtrack for a Jean Rollin movie.
Picture a gothic abbey or an ancient well-kept cemetery. That eerie/ethereal
atmosphere is present in communion's music. If you are not that imaginative, then
think of Skinny Puppy. Darkwave, ambient, gothic fans a must.
--bc, Children of Caine # 2
communion & sss
[a split-release, nocturne fourth]
...The only comparison I could think of is a Hyperium band teaming up with those
evil crazies at Cold Meat Industry and having it re-mixed by an electro-band from Zoth
Ommog . What more can a darkwave cyber-punk ask for? This needs to be recorded on CD!
---D.A. of Kent, Ohio
Other/General/Live Reviews
...One of the best things about our scene [Greater
Washington D.C. area] is it's diversity and communion is a good example of
that. They aren't quite like any other band out there. What makes communion's
music different is the way they create it, [through] live improvisation. So
everything about the band is necessarily loose and fluid. For instance, band members
come and go, anyone who can add something to the music is welcome. During a typical
communion session one person may start off and the others will eventually join in.
Right now there are five members of communion. Their fearless leader is . . . 0110
(the 1's [one's] are pronounced as l's[el's]). He once told me that he enjoyed
playing with numbers but now the numbers are playing with him. I think the same
concept applies to communion's music when at times the music seems to be playing the
people. It's often hard to tell what exactly is going on in a communion song.
When I saw them play 0110 was doing vocals and lots of knob-twisting effects. Anthony
was also doing some vocals and electro-gadget magic. Six was behind the
keyboards and Margaret added some spoken-word type vocals while Fleeky
handled the percussion. But describing what the members are doing does not begin to
describe the music. It is dark and atmospheric. Some songs have a sequenced
base while others are total improvisation. The music is always intense and
overwhelming. It provides a fertile field for your imagination and it's up to you to
see what grows there. I gues what I'm trying to say is you'd be better off hearing
it rather than reading my description. communion has been around for about [two]
years now and they have several releases including "Through Dreams of Reckless
Sleep" and "Their Despair in Gentle Things". Both are 90 minutes of
communion's live experimentations. This may seem a little excessive but there's so
much going on in the music that it would be difficult to find it boring. Although
communion is a live project they take their music seriously and are talented at it.
You may be thinking that anyone can get a bunch of electronic equipment and play with the
knobs but the question is can they make it interesting, and communion does just
that. Currently, communion is working on recording a half-hour live set that will be
played on an Arlington [Virginia] cable station. I attended one of their practices
to witness "spontaneous generation" in person. It was very cool and
totally unpretentious. communion is an excellent name for the band because it is all
about communication and drawing others into the music. Actually I can't think of
anything better to do on a Sunday night than sit in 0110's basement in the dark and let
the music wash over me. Even live experimentation can be improved with practice and
the band has definitely gotten better since their previous recordings. The good news
is that they are in the final stages of putting out their next tape which is called "Translucid".
. . communion wants to play as many shows as possible from private parties to clubs, it
does not matter.
---by Jennifer Barnes, "An Ear to the Atmosphere", Melodia,
vol. 03, #10, September 1996.
