barnett & coloccia: retrieval

Retrieval is the debut collaborative album from Faith Coloccia and Alex Barnett. Artist and composer Coloccia was a founding member of Everlovely Lightningheart, and is perhaps best known as one-half of Mamiffer. She has contributed to recordings by House Of Low Culture, Boris, and William Fowler Collins, among others, and collaborations with Circle and Daniel Menche are forthcoming. Alex Barnett played in Oakeater, but since 2009 has been active primarily as a solo artist, with releases on Catholic Tapes, DRAFT, Nihilist, and others. Following an initial exchange of ideas, the bulk of Retrieval was recorded over three intensive days at Otic Sound in Vancouver, with Coloccia contributing treated vocals, tape-manipulated acoustic recordings and AM radio sounds, and Barnett adding an array of synth instruments to create further loops, drum sounds and other rhythmic elements. A grave, deeply introspective work, pastoral in essence but cosmic in scope. Opening with the stately, medievalist sequences of "Harbor," Retrieval's narrative takes in subdued techno abstraction ("Hallway"), chrondritic psychedelia ("So, How Much Do You Know About Me?"), saw-mill gear-grind ("Repeating Pit") and eldritch noise invocations ("Retrieval," "Bird's Eye"). Throughout, it invigorates without consoling. Mixed by Randall Dunn at AVAST!. Mastered by James Plotkin. Vinyl cut by Noel Summerville and pressed at Optimal. Housed in a full picture sleeve with an 8.5" x 11" photocopy insert. Recorded at Otic Sound by Joshua Stevenson in Vancouver, Canada, using: EMS Synthi AKS, A, and 100; Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 and Pro One; Roland Vocoder Plus VP 330; Korg Polyphonic synthesizer PS3300; EDP Wasp; Korg Lambda; Moog Opus 3 and Prodigy; Farfisa Synthorchestra; tape cassette recorder; voice.