austere- Remittance

You can now order a copy exclusively from the Hypnos Online Store or in Canada from PiNG THiNGS.

Please see the page on our previous release Remission for an explanation of why it was discontinued and this was released,
and a rant about both the upsides and downsides of self-released musick.

Please click on any photo to see a larger version.

After hearing our musick described as "dark" and "somber" for many years (mind you, we don't disagree) we decided that we would try to write an album that would be, for lack of better terms, "not dark" and "not somber". We weren't quite sure what that would mean, although we wanted to avoid in every way the clichés of a lot of sugary, new agey musick, and most certainly anything resembling Kenny G.
(excerpt from Bloombalm)

This happened to coincide with a return of interest in the guitar, having sold our tambura with the hopes of buying a larger and much nicer one. The guitar was an instrument that neither of us had grown all that good at playing, and had abandoned from both lack of skill and lack of inspiration, not to mention its often oppressive omniprescence in pop and rock musick.
(excerpt from Bloombalm)

We came to the conclusion that the kind of musick we wanted to write for this album would be best described as "blissful" and "beautiful." Something uplifting, pleasant to listen or meditate to, or ignore, as ambient musick is meant to be. Something to help shed this image of "dark" or "overly serious." But still, there's a certain melancholy sadness that holds sway over most of this album.
(excerpt from Bloombalm)

Life is rarely simple or straight-forward, and we, like most human beings, are influenced by what goes on in our lives and what goes on around us. So remittances is a bit more diverse than we originally expected. It has movements of glistening brightness, a dark- sounding drone, shimmering sheets of sound, and plenty of atmospheric samples (which we hope are ambient in their own way, imparting either deep meaning or gentle confusion)

We've tried to approach guitar in as näive and simplistic way as we could, focusing instead on exploration and experimentation versus the usual regimen of technique and chops. Also pushing our boundaries, there are several songs with lyrics and vocals, which we hope still fit the aesthetic we spot for. The results are done entirely with guitars and effects, nothing more, no synths or sequencers on any tracks. All of which has led to a very complex and personally significant album for us. As always, we hope that others find our work interesting and enjoyable, however they interpret it and whatever it means to them. And if you do find deep meaning, please share it with us, and as always, thanks for listening.

Please click on any photo to see a larger version.

Reviews

"''The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long.'' To me, the most pleasurable of the CDs with ''verbal inserts.'' The last track, ''Satie On Valium,'' requires a bit of patience but is worth it."

— Gordon Danis, Esq.

A Truly Independent & Wonderful, Fresh Masterpiece:

"When I get excited about truly independent music and want to show people how it's done, I pull out my copy of Remittance. Originally released as Remission and featuring a slightly different track line-up, Remittance is a wonderful, fresh instrumental masterpiece, released in 2004 and consisting of eight tracks. Each one drones, pulses, and reveals itself slowly, like a gem turning in the light."

— Jinsai

"Remittance" by Austere is a release that immerses the listener in a new world of Austere's creation. Proudly noting that all of the sounds and instruments were played live by the band without the help of synths or sequencers, "Remittance" is a beautiful collection of music that captures both the wonder and mystery that Austere have become so well known for.

The disc opens with the track "Shokai", a pulsing track that blends a series of drones together into a latticework of sound. Beautiful and intricate, "Shokai" has a very dense and complete sound that easily draws you in.

"Shiv" starts out much more subtly, the sounds of fog and mist rolling across the land. From the title I expected a short sharp shock, but instead "Shiv" is a thick and dense drifting piece where tones rise and fall, and the sounds of sustained guitar and more play in the distance.

Track three, "Crimson", uses a repeated phrase overtop an evolving backdrop, a sense of almost oblique movement playing along. Voices and samples drift out of the darkness, a snatch here, a whisper there, something I recognize or maybe not...

"La Capella Reservado" follows with a very sparse opening, utilizing spaces and silence as effectively as the notes themselves. It's a testimony to the beauty of the notes in question, the slight variation in them that the track sustains one's interest so well and so long despite it's minimal variation.

"Prana" has more sounds, a lush, almost orchestral swell to it. It drifts and flows in lovely ways that wrap around my heart and make me feel warm and tingly. It's a beautiful thing.

"Bloombalm" has a certain jangly found sound nature to it, a jumble of tones and themes, a drone in the background and a repeated phrase, a rising and falling siren drone. Very interesting.

In contrast to it's name, "Morninglory" is a dark and hypnotic piece, melancholy vocal lines twisted and drawn out into evil and menacing pieces of fear. A simple guitar line plays overtop, looped and repeated.

"Sunset" incorporates a sample from Kate Bush's Hounds of Love disc to great effect, a sense of new beginnings and new adventures ahead, played overtop a steady drone.

I don't want to spoil the surprise, but there's also a hidden track here, a simple piece where notes sustain and flow, perhaps the most beautiful thing on the disc. I'm not sure of the track's name, but in certain ways that makes it almost better for not knowing. And given Austere's enigmatic nature, I should think that that's more than appropriate.

Needless to say I've long enjoyed the work of Austere, and in that time I've come to know a fair bit of their work. Certainly "Remittance" is one of their best, a great introduction for new fans and a welcome reminder for those of us in the know just how wonderful they really are. You owe it to yourself to investigate this disc further."

— rik - ping things