Noertker, Bill/Mark Oi: nOOi

Guitarist Mark Oi and bassist Bill Noertker first met in the ‘90s but seriously began composing music together since around 2013. The result is nOOi released in June of this year. According to the press release from Edgetone Records the two met weekly on numerous occasions to “hone their musical lexicon�.

This has been a hard album for me to get into due to the discord the duo presents. It’s not all completely experimental and there are some nice moments when melodies are realized, like in the almost pretty “Idée Fixe�, but those moments are too few and far between at least to my untrained ears. I must confess that avant-garde music with such a high degree of experimentalism sometimes does not sit well within my brain as the notes become too acerbic or abrasive, the rapid improvisations in the frenzied “Score and Part� being one such example. This is further emphasized when the bass and guitar lines exist as disparate entities, veering away from each other. It’s when the instruments are in a synchronous orbit I enjoy more like in parts of “Nu Skal du Komme� and the aforementioned “Idée Fixe�.

So a tough listen overall but definitely not a lost cause. If you enjoy atypical melodies and experimental music featuring just guitar and bass you might want to check this duo out.

Track Listing:
1. The Little Mornings (4:34)
2. Score and Part (6:37)
3. Idée Fixe (4:43)
4. Nu Skal du Komme (3:36)
5. Tshoes (6:59)
6. Red Oval (3:37)
7. Krystyna’s Theme (3:58)
8. Primary Colors (5:02)
9. Belief Jerky (5:03)
10. Interlude (1:45)

Added: November 15th 2018
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Label's Official Site
Hits: 668
Language: english

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