''Absinthe'' is the fifth and final studio album by the band
Naked City. Unlike the band's other genre-mixing releases, the music on ''Absinthe'' is consistently in an
ambient
Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to:
Music and sound
* Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds
* Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere
* ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby
* ...
and
noise style.
The titles of many of its tracks refer to the works of
Paul Verlaine,
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poetry, French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticis ...
and other figures in the
fin de siècle Decadent movement, and to the
drink
A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothies a ...
after which the album is named. The album's cover and liner notes feature photographs by the German
Surrealist Hans Bellmer.
From the official description on the now defunct Avant website:
"Joey Baron plays bags of dry leaves, fishing reels and buckshot. Bill Frisell solos on a microtonal guitar. Wayne Horvitz samples everything from crickets to Giacinto Scelsi
Giacinto Francesco Maria Scelsi (; 8 January 1905 – 9 August 1988, sometimes cited as 8 August 1988) was an Italian composer who also wrote surrealist poetry in French.
He is best known for having composed music based around only one pitch, ...
. Fred Frith does what he does best. Zorn doesn't even touch the saxophone."
The final track, "...Rend Fou", is a six-minute recording of Frisell and Frith running their guitar jacks over the inputs of their guitars.
The album was also released as part of ''
Naked City: The Complete Studio Recordings'' on
Tzadik Records.
Reception
The
Allmusic review by Caleb Deupree states "Naked City's final album is by far its most puzzling and enigmatic... Nothing in Naked City's previous oeuvre prepares the listener for this collection, a complete reversal from the
hardcore and
thrash metal, but looking forward to Zorn's interest in minimalist pieces like ''
Redbird'' and ''
Duras''."
[Duepree, C. Allmusic Reviewaccessed March 16, 2009]
Track listing
''All compositions by John Zorn''
Personnel
*
John Zorn
John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...
– vocals, synthesizer,
sampler
Sampler may refer to:
* Sampler (signal), a digital signal processing device that converts a continuous signal to a discrete signal
* Sampler (needlework), a handstitched piece of embroidery used to demonstrate skill in needlework
* Sampler (surna ...
*
Bill Frisell – guitar
*
Fred Frith
Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser.
Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock ...
– bass guitar
*
Wayne Horvitz – keyboards, synthesizer,
sampler
Sampler may refer to:
* Sampler (signal), a digital signal processing device that converts a continuous signal to a discrete signal
* Sampler (needlework), a handstitched piece of embroidery used to demonstrate skill in needlework
* Sampler (surna ...
*
Joey Baron – percussion
Liner Notes
*Published by Theatre of Musical Optics, BMI
*Produced by
John Zorn
John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...
*Executive Producer: Disk Union
*Recorded at
Electric Lady,
NYC December 1992
*Mixed at Platinum Island, NYC January 1993
*Engineered by Joe Ferla
*Assistant Engineer: Hoover Le
*Mastered by
Scott Hull
*Cover photo:
Hans Bellmer "Les Jeux de la Poupée"
*Design: Tomoyo T.L. (Karath=Razar)
*Photo typesetting: Lisa Wells
*Special thanks to:
Fujieda Mamoru,
Giacinto Scelsi
Giacinto Francesco Maria Scelsi (; 8 January 1905 – 9 August 1988, sometimes cited as 8 August 1988) was an Italian composer who also wrote surrealist poetry in French.
He is best known for having composed music based around only one pitch, ...
,
Mick Harris
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Absinthe (Album)
1993 albums
Naked City (band) albums
Albums produced by John Zorn
Avant Records albums