This five track album from the increasingly prolific Telescopes is the first in a trio of releases – two albums proper and one live recording – that reflect a shift in their style that sees them edging ever more deeply into the world of abstract noise and improvisation. This shift could be very likely due to the influence of Bridget Hayden (once of Vibracathedral Orchestra); with a new interest in the examination of sound in ever-increasing detail, stepping further and further away from the original song-based forms of the Telescopes’ past.

The five tracks of Infinite Suns are recorded onto analogue tape with recording levels set to intentionally overload. The album is literally packed with noise, often distorting so much that the recording itself breaks down into glitches of silence. It’s hard going, but impressive in its relentless focus. Across the album is shared a set of harsh, tinny core tones and textures, with each track digging around the roots in an exploratory fashion. ‘Thought Loops’ has a weirdly human, intensely repeating, pained voice throughout – pretty hellish stuff. ‘Northumberland’ is a purer circular drone, touching down and taking off regularly, delightful in its simplicity. ‘Tidal bandwidth’ is akin to being trapped within a broken wind tunnel: occasional rising and falling tones are buried beneath layers of fuzz and noise. ‘Chrome gulls’ is violent and sporadic, until descending into a relentless, bloody-minded scrawl of noise and feedback.

Easily listening this is not, but an interesting development for an outfit with a 20+ year lifespan it most certainly is. The Telescopes in their current form are several worlds apart from the band(s) they once were – but listen back to their earlier output and you can spot hints of experimentalism that are finally being given absolute free rein and free experiment.

The Telescopes
Textile Records

Posted: 09|7|08 at 3:48 pm. Filed under: record reviews.
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