Ferrella~Schaefer: Musical Catechism Ferrella~Schaefer: Musical Catechism (Earthboys - 2000) When you hear that a group of guys gather weekly to record live noise improvisations to a 2-track recorder, you have to be a little afraid that the output will sound like, well... a group of guys gathering weekly to record live noise improvisations to a 2-track recorder... fortunately, Ferrella~Schaefer often (though not always) transcend the lo-fi, home-spun production to forge the mysterious, brooding 2-disc panorama of Musical Catechism... The Red Disc opens on the enigmatic atmospheres of 3.11.99 where shadowy clangs, swirling fibers of feedback, windchime clatter and semi-regular percussive thumps rise from an extended bed of distorted whispers. Dreamier moods are rendered, albeit in an indistinguishably-slurred sonic smear, as 3.25.99 drones into existence, to be sporadically decorated with xylophoney notes, tinkling chimes and flute-like breezes. Bespeckled by do-it-yourself beats, 4.22.99's motor tones waver in a slow up-and-down cycle, like a mechanically-howling wind crossing some unkown expanse of surreality. Acoustic guitar strokes add an interesting change of texture as the piece develops. Disc two (a.k.a. the Green Disc) begins with a slowly quavering drone submerged beneath the sporadic bells-and-clunks of 12.2.99; subtle activities (like lion-esque grumbles and echoey reverberations) begin to surface from the obscuring haze, never coming into full focus. The detuned, warped twangs of 12.27.99 (1:34) are mercifully short-lived. Whispery echoes (and echoey whispers) occasionally surface from the molten sonic stew of 2.10.00 (16:26); synth ripples of several varieties, distant keyboarding, random thuds (and maybe doorbells?) emerge from the still-but-never-stagnant background morass. Strangely spoken words may indicate drug usage, multiple personalities or both. Airier 2.17.00 closes the set with rumbling drums, wispy drones and out-of-focus e-piano sounds. Also on the Green Disc is a psychedelic Director minimovie which features an everchanging orb which does its metamorphic thing over a self-adjusting kaleidoscopic background. Nicely done, and of course backed by the accompanying soundscapes of Ferrella~Schaefer. For fans of obscure improvised soundscapes, Musical Catechism may prove to be a religious experience, but less-patient audiences may feel lost in unfathomable murk, or perhaps too-attuned to the apparent pots-and-pans approach. I'm sure it was a lot of work distilling year's worth of material into two discs, but further reducing into a single CD may have made for a stronger overall presentation. Still, Ferrella~Schaefer's often-intriguing scenes warrant an 8.2 for the high points. This review posted December 30, 2000 AmbiEntrance © 2000-1997 by David J Opdyke (except CD cover art, rights retained by original owners).