Entry 9: Paul Lansky – Idle Chatter

This piece quite fascinating and very well crafted. I find a very organic quality in the music and in the textures particular. While many of the sounds used are not so natural per se, the manner in which they are organized makes a very organic texture that moves quickly, changes subtly, and maintains the same general character throughout. I like this texture in that it cannot be pinned down or rather it is in constant motion within multiple layers without any noticable breaking points, therefore creating a continous gesture. The effect given is similar to the hidden image art that contain geometrical patterns and images in the background that can be seen when the viewer stares at the foreground until moves out of focus, only the hidden images in this piece are underlying melodies. These melodies are pieces of the texture at times, and at other points they are actually longer, softer passages in the background of the music which carry themselfs forward in the music due to their contrast to the main texture. With an ongoing texture or cycle, the unfocusing of the ears so to speak is very attainable while listening to this piece, and beleive this was very much intended in the piece. When this is acheived, only the changes in the texture and sound are percieved, which uncovers a direction and flow in the piece that is difficult to hear on the surface level. This piece has plentiful motion on the micro level, but the movement on the marco level is what really drives it forward, and when listened to in a casual manner it can seem rather static, despite that the piece is usually changing very subtly. Of course, the source material is pretty much the same through the entirety of the work and this make the piece a bit monotonus, but it also creates a great environment for the subtly in the piece. In using the same material and texture throughout, the piece is very much like a wall with many small intricate patterns that make up larger images within the patterns. I like the pyschlogical elements in this piece and I really enjoyed listening to it.