Seemingly a post-script to David Jackman's subscription series of CDs that were conceptualized as a single piece, these two 7" records both continue the themes of the eight albums that preceded them. With one as Organum Electronics and the other under his own name, one of the singles is an extension of what had come before, but the other seems to venture into new spaces, which I suppose may or may not be indicative of a future direction in Jackman’s work.
Available individually to the public, or in a colored vinyl double 7" old school gatefold package for the subscribers, the construction of these two singles is aligned with Jackman's history of presenting two slightly different variations on the same sound. "Fiire," as Organum Electronics, is the one that is most representative of the discs that made up the subscription set. Taking that almost-but-not-quite harsh noise blast sound that has been consistent with his use of that name, the relative brevity adds to the intensity. Over the two sides, I can almost detect some of the elements of his non-electronic work (bells, ravens, etc.) bleeding through the jet engine blast, but that could be entirely a figment of my imagination. Like the long form works, however, the endings of the pieces are just as jarring as the openings.
"Das Kreuz," as David Jackman, is where he seems to pivot into a largely new direction. With both sides wrapped in the pronounced crackle of ancient vinyl records, he brings in some of the familiar palette he’s been working with in his organic works, but under the texture of vinyl they have a different feel entirely. Buried in the crackle there are ravens and bells, but also other birds and rustling noises. Far in the distance is a simple, ghostly piano-like melody that grounds the pieces in a more mournful space than his recent work has conveyed. It should also be noted that, although intended to be played at 45, all four pieces are great at 33 as well, and leads to different elements of them becoming the focus, such as the crackle on "Das Kreuz" coming to the forefront with the melody floating further back.
With "Fiire" continuing in the direction of his recent works, but "Das Kreuz" bringing in new elements that have not been part of his work to date, I am hoping that this is a transitional set of singles, closing the old works and opening up the new. With Jackman, however, nothing is predictable, but I have my fingers crossed at least.
