Thisquietarmy & Yellow6: Death/Valley (Basses Frequences)

Two separate albums (one gold vinyl, one silver) detail one night of recording by two fiercely experimental guitarists, and their effects. The guitars work mainly as a distinct pair, whereby one sets a drone in action and the other delicately plays around the set atmosphere. Death, unsurprisingly - given its title, is by far the darker of the two albums - setting the scene of the desert as a foreboding place, that the ensuing journey will not be a happy one. Halfway through 'Furnace' (track 2 side one) a glimmer of light appears in the form of a soaring tone and you feel that it wont all necessarily end in tears. 'Salt' (the whole of side 2) begins with the lighter tone that 'Furnace' ended with and takes you on a long slow trip into a gentle hypnotic state before transforming, in the final few minutes, into a disturbing sound of dread. And then it fades out.

The silver album ('Valley') begins with the side long 'Dunes' and an altogether more pleasant atmosphere. Like the sunrise, the track begins with a flicker before gradually brightening the whole scene. By far the most beautiful of all  the tracks on the two albums, 'Dunes' unfolds into a symphony of restraint and subtlety - giving an impression of the two musicians in gentle contemplation creating something very special. Thankfully, the track never darkens and the mood is carried over to the final side. 'Creek' begins at a similar pace and sounds like it is going to build into something big - in the manner of something like GYBE's 'East Hastings'. Simply played - and with more reliance on notes than drones; 'Creek' uses this simplicity to mesmerising effect, looping and gently building on itself until it reaches its own mini crescendo which is very mini indeed. 'Flats' - the final track on these fine albums, is the positive ending that we all hoped for at the close of the first album. Drifting along with effects shimmering the notes, like the titular flats shimmering in the morning heat, the piece makes you feel alive again and ready for whatever the day will bring. Even if that 'whatever' is darkness personified.

Apparently the music here was all recorded in a state of improvised exhaustion and maybe that is why some of these tracks are so emotionally effective - that they were originally produced from deep down in the recesses of the musician's tired minds.