Seth Chrisman and Andrew Weathers’ release Put Your Face In The River, from Texas-based Full Spectrum Records, features field recordings and performances assembled during a New England tour. The fourth collaboration between Chrisman and Weathers, Put Your Face In The River is a blend of noise, thick drones, and eclectic field recordings.
The album opens with “Franconia,” which features the water-like hiss of white noise in the left speaker. The right speaker remains curiously dead for a long period of time, but eventually other spectrums of noise break into the right speaker as well. It is a decisive opening. “Annandale-on-Hudson” begins with warm drones, a warbly guitar, and shifting echoes of feedback. Tones rock and bend, like sunlight shifting over the rocks at the bottom of a cool, calm stream. The warm bath of sound drains away into a shimmery soundscape featuring a distorted microphone brushing against clothing and other materials. The effect is warming enveloping.
“Somerville” begins where the previous track left off: in a deep bath of reverb, with beautiful, lush tones supporting textural guitars. As the track progresses, things become darker. Noise and bright, dissonant metallic sounds seep into the gentle sound world, gently sinking the listener into a world of factory-esque sounds. “Winooski” opens with noise, but textural guitars quickly enter, joined by a high-pitched synthesizer reminiscent of a miniature Hammond organ. Featuring the persistent rush of water, this track resembles staring at a waterfall on a hot summer day.
