AMN Reviews: N O Moore – Solo Live at Oto (2023; scatterArchive)

In January of 2023, N O Moore performed two long guitar improvisations accompanied by prepared recordings. They were inspired by the films of Peter Tscherkassky and Jane Arden, respectively.

The recordings serve as focal points for the playing, and to the listener of this album – who does not have the assistance of visuals – it may be difficult to discern between what was and was not live. Ultimately, however, that does not matter, as the point of Solo Live at Oto was to create sounds that relate to the thematic content of the films and that can stand on their own.

Accordingly, The Tscherkassky Tape begins as a quiet and introspective piece, with low-volume guitar playing and effects, as Moore employs extended techniques to extract strange notes, chords, and percussive elements. Bursts of odd noises appear in both loosely repetitive and individual manners. Slowly, Moore arranges these building blocks into a jagged amalgam interspersed with drifting passages, sculpted feedback, and spoken word excerpts.

The Arden Tape sets off in a similarly quiet fashion with a repeated voiceover and lilting high-frequency tones. This pastoral yet disturbing start is punctuated by rapid-tempo synthesized percussion and guitar improv. Throughout the track, repeated vocalizations appear from time to time, often modulated in one manner or another. As the track progresses sequenced elements are accompanied by haphazard guitar chords.

Moore’s unusual textures and tones create a mesmerizing soundscape that blurs the line between music and art. The album’s deliberate pacing leaves each underlying statement room to breathe and evolve.

Solo Live at Oto will be released on September 25 by scatterArchive.