An atmospheric exercise

The experimental genre has always struggled with how much atmosphere is acceptable to put into an album. A typical good record has some level of atmosphere mixed with helpings of melody and narrative, but it is more than common for experimental records to skip melody and rely wholly on atmosphere. Sometimes this works to great effect, in the case of artists like Prurient or Gas, other times the whole exercise comes off as self-aggrandizing and dull. Luckily for lovers of guitar work, Dylan Carlson’s latest non-Earth project Conquistador leans far more heavily towards the former.

The first track, “Conquistador” serves as a lengthy introduction towards the rest of the record, clocking in at just over thirteen minutes long the song tends to drag far more than any other on the album. It is comprised largely of a twangy, languishing electronic guitar that repeats the same set of notes seemingly without end. At times it gains a feeling not dissimilar to tracks from Mogwai but unlike the post-rock legends this track never quite breaks loose, though it does threaten to towards the end. The closing minutes of this track are significantly different from the rest, the guitars grow in narrative delivery, becoming more dynamic with each passing moment as feedback and reverb clutter the back ends of the track making for a welcome break from the repetitive lead-up.

“When The Horses Were Shorn of Their Hooves” is the notably more dynamic second track. The guitar parts call to mind loud classic rock solos from live shows, giving this track a more improvisational feel than the opener. The center of the track features an interesting take on the layering of elements to create a multi-part guitar section comprised of previously played chords with soloing and new chords laid atop. The experience can be rather disorienting but manages to come out as enjoyable on the other end.

“Reaching the Gulf,” which is the final track on the record, is far more somber than any of its predecessors. It seems to carry with it a stronger sense of narrative weight and makes the track feel as though it is saying something. Both the title and the tone of the track imply the end of a journey and the softly twanging guitars seem to echo in agreement, drawing the album to a satisfyingly somber close.

Atmosphere is never easy to get right, too much and the track drifts into background music, too little and it’s simply an empty melody, but when the balance on an atmospheric album is struck it leads to a magical experience. While Conquistador is unlikely to become a classic, it does well at what it attempts to do and is sure to leave listeners feeling satisfied. Those that are left hungry have more than enough classics of Carlson’s work with Earth to dig through.