| |
|
Given Thor Harrisʼs live and recorded performances with Shearwater, Smog, Angels of Light, Swans, Devendra Banhart, Lisa Germano, and Gretchen Phillips, to name only a few, we had no idea what to expect from his first experimental solo project. And that is exactly what he delivers: the unexpected. From found
sounds to instruments he made himself, this virtuoso of percussion has fashioned a raw but strikingly beautiful album that flows organically from moment to moment and space to space.
Thorʼs living space itself is a kind of visual metaphor for his self proclaimed “hand played ambient record” Fields of Innards. A renowned carpenter in his off-time, Thor built his own house
using exclusively found and recycled materials: bones, bowling balls, already-dead trees, and the like. He even built a thirty-foot spiral staircase without using a single nail. Similar precision, care,
and creativity are readily apparent in the construction of this album.
Thor recorded Fields of Innards in 1999 with Rob Halverson in Austin, TX, and a limited supply was first made available in 2000. One of its tracks appeared on I Eat Recordsʼ 2005 compilation Appetizers & Leftovers and was subsequently featured on NPRʼs Living on Earth (January, 2006).
I Eat Records is truly honored to ring in our third year with the reissue of this hand played masterpiece, our eleventh release.
print version here
|
|
“The disc is comprised of a dozen
untitled, instrumental tracks all less than
five minutes a piece, but consider it one
continuous 45 minute piece. It sounds
like Thor used many of the same tools
here as with the Angels: percussion,
hammer dulcimer, xylophone, glockenspiel, vibes and water bowls. This percussive palette of mostly mellow
dings and pings is augmented with
stringed plucks and drones, a bit of organ and found sounds such as trodden leaves. Itʼs all very tranquil and
graceful, carefully composed and
impeccably recorded, trickling by like
a refreshing, remote brook. But donʼt
think of it merely as ear candy for
thereʼs not a trace of New Age
ickiness is to be found anywhere. Thorʼs
approach is both experimental and
melodic, with occasional accents
reminiscent of music boxes, the Middle
East and the Far East. Fields of Innards
is a genuinely affective ambient
album that has become my new nightly
soundtrack for sleep.”
-- Mark Weddle , Brainwashed.com,
April 20, 2002
“Clearly, this is one admittedly mortal
Thor who has learned to enjoy the
basic, essential things in life, from
friendship to music, from the satisfaction
that comes from doing things for oneself
to the inner warmth borne of passing
knowledge on to the next generation.
Such things are the food of the gods
indeed.”
--Ken Lieck , The Austin Chronicle,
Jan. 21, 2000 feature story
“Thor is the most metal looking dude in
indie rock” – recently overheard at a
Shearwater show
___________________________ |
|
|
|
