Symphony No.1 (Tonal Plexus)

Rock music is a funny beast, and difficult to control, let alone explain; Sometimes it is at its best when simple and stupid (see anything the ramones ever wrote), sometimes there is beauty in complexity (bohemian rhapsody, radiohead's latest output). Glenn branca understands this, only too well: This album was recorded with 12 guitarists, two purcussionists and a whole heap of brass. Far from translating classical music to the guitar, or translating rock music to the classical, he gives the two a run for their money. For rocks simplicity we have the first peice, ten minutes around the key of e, gradually building from a trickle to a torrent of noise, with brass weaving in and out of consonance, like a siren of impending destruction. For the classicals drama, we have the second peice, with drums that drill deep into the listeners skull, a pounding repetitive beat that echoes the action of wagner at his most dramatic.The raison d'etre of this peice seems not to do something that mixes two things never mixed before, but to create something entirely new. Branca prefers to create images in music rather than show off his musicianship, as classical is wont to do, or point the listener to an emotion, one of rocks great faults. The third peice emulates the sea, slowly lapping back and forth, until finally coming crashing against the shore with a cascade of white noise, with not a single instrument being drawn into focus.Most music has a focal point, be it the soloist or the vocalist, each being drawn to the front. Not such convention for branca, who prefers to allow the music itself be the focus, as far removed from being egotistical self indulgence as is possible.Branca was playing with a fire that no one has dared touch since, choosing rather to emulate with lights. Not only this, branca tamed rock, creating the drama of classical without the intellectualism that makes much of it so ugly. And here,in his first symphony, is some of the finest and strangest music you will ever hear. But don't expect to emerg with you heaing intact.

The legendary Glen Branca album, could be called avant garde classical music, but really more like the sound of an army of guitars with percussion and some horns. Thurston and Lee from Sonic Youth played in it, and the wave of dissonant guitars is quite recognizable, only without bass or vocals. It's called a symphony, and was supposedly done in four continuous parts, but it really sounds like four distinct pieces that were recorded live and range from 10 minutes to 17 minutes in length. The longest one is also the coolest one - it just drones and drones and drones. Nice.

This is minimalist music resembling somewhat Steve Reich's stuff. It is actually not bad at all. You have Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo on it. While it is not the garbage some people wrote it is also not high art.

Remastered from the orignial ROIR casette of a live performance. Thundering, thudding, clanging, exhuberant. Play it load with the windows down and drown and those stupid pop beats. Wagner would be proud of this sturm and drang

I am sorry but it is just noise it is giving me a headache and I love distorted guitars man he has pulled the wool over your eyes or I'm just not getting it .Honestly it seems like the emperor has no clothes and the people who bought it well maybe you should turn it off and listen to some stones.CD