karl vorndran: thawing

Thawing is the debut solo album by Cane Swords' modular maniac and RCN co-founder Karl Vorndran. Using modular synthesis, Vorndran places emphasis on the contrast between structure and chance. "3 Transients" opens the album with slow evolution and exposition of Vorndran's controlled aleatoric processes. Feedback loops and random generators develop timbre and pitch that feeds back into a network of elements and the result is a document of the complex nature of connection that easily morphs into metaphor through subtly discordant drone. Paradoxical chaotic meditation sets the tone for the rest of the album. Thawing explodes with cathartic juxtapositions, gestural improvisation, and chance-driven rhythms and melodies that clash with structural segments and motifs. Frantic bursts combine with repetition in songs like "Bound and Folded" to create eclectic soundscapes. Thawing ends with slowly evolving drone that dismantles into disjunct rhythm and grating blasts. Vorndran's processes afford a degree of restraint and the compositions refrain from pure chaos even in the harsh moments, retaining a dynamic, engaging interaction that documents the relation of structure and chance. Presented in an edition of 100 cassettes, pro-dubbed and imprinted with pro-printed and scored heavy stock j-cards. Digital download and custom inserts included. Design by Karl Vorndran.