Preparing For The Fourth Stage
Entering The Fourth Stage

When I was 22 years old I had the misfortune to wake up next to a fat lass. In fact fat is being very complimentary. Perhaps hippo is nearer the truth. A one night stand gone badly wrong. I wanted to creep out of her house and never see her again but a little voice kept nagging me to give her a second chance. Looks aren’t everything I kept saying to myself. She’s possibly got an intellectual side that will stimulate mundane conversation. Or her personality is so outgoing that she’ll make you laugh.

Likewise I’ve tried to find something in "33-12" that makes it raise above all the other samey sounding minimal dark ambient pieces currently released but couldn’t. I desperately wanted something, in fact anything, to stand out and make me catch my breath and nod sagely that here was a CD that was a bit special. Desperate is as desperate does. I wanted to feel the energy…the vibe even…that the artist was trying to convey through his approach using chants, bells and gongs. Sadly I never quite understood or grasped his methods. As the electronic music faded in and out, forcing me to up the volume to hear the sounds more clearly, I still wasn’t as involved in the two pieces that made up the recording as I should have been. There were undercurrents of an oppressive nature prevalent throughout but not enough to sustain my desire for all things ominous.

Perhaps I’m being far too picky for my own good and maybe someone else less jaded than I would welcome this recording. If you think I’m being harsh then so be it. I have far more substantial recordings in my collection of this ilk that are more worthy of your consideration. As they say…you pays your money etc.

ANM