“Sound is a Body”
The sounds here are all percussion (which is not unexpected coming from Jo Bled), but there is not a drum kit in sight. Instead, “Sound is a Body” features steel tongue drums and singing bowls creating peaceful and sweet sounds. Opener “Things are also Weirdly” is a mesmerizing track with some drone sounds and little steel drum melodies that could almost be mistaken for electronic music at times. “Drop Process” has more random sounds that remind me of chimes reacting to a breeze. There’s also an alternate mix of this song included that features JM Blanchard playing an active singing bowl, adding a drone/ambient element. The other track here, “Future Economy” includes some light African rhythm and dub elements. Jo Bled (a/k/a JB Ledoux) continues to impress with both his playing and compositions.
“Two Pieces for Drumset”
A pretty good example of “truth in titling” here by Jo Bled; this is, in fact, two pieces played on a set of drums. And those drums are expertly played by JB Ledoux. “The Half-Moon Piece” is up first and it’s mostly riding the cymbals initially, but unfurls from there. There’s a very, very slight train-signal-sounding-chime that keeps appearing in the background through the entire song. I’m not sure if that was intentionally played or if it’s some sort of aural illusion from a cymbal echo, but it kind of held my ear through the entire piece. It also seemed appropriate as the last couple minutes build to a speeding train sound. Track number two is “The Icehouse Piece” and starts more on the drum heads this time. I like both tracks a lot; the drumming is free, but the drummer always sounds like he’s in complete control. For a simple concept, there is a lot of nice textural variety to enjoy.