Christmas Decorations, Oomycota (side A)

It's confusing enough to listen to albums from my own band — it's even more confusing to write about them on this blog.  2009's Oomycota extends the palette and improvisational character of Far Flung Hum, while emphasizing the textural palette over melodic content.  Each of 10 short tracks introduces a variation of the wheeze-and-clatter, and navigates through it for several minutes, before the next one quickly begins.  When placed front and center, the subtle, interesting details of the sounds shine, and the variations from track-to-track become the central story of the album.  Acoustic sound sources interweave with electronic ones, to a point where even in the foreground, the textures give few hints as to their creation.  The group interplay remains tasteful — it succeeds at serving the pieces, without drawing attention to itself.  The simple line-drawing and handmade package fit the music nicely, and the technical clarity lets the sonic details shine through.