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SIMON McCORRY
The Illusion Of Beginnings And Endings WHITE LAB
Mournful minimalism from cellist and composer
6/10
McCorry’s initial understanding of minimalism combined Lee “Scratch” Perry’s skeletal, shuddering dub and John Cage, and his sounds’ taped textures matter as much here as their incremental, looping progress. The title track’s atmosphere seems clouded with radioactive debris, like the decaying crackle on the electronic “Seeking Light”, with its Sisyphean climbs, and last unexpected, optimistic leap. “The Point Of Stillness”, meanwhile, explores an ambient soundscape of eerie, lunar barrenness. The centrality of McCorry’s cello perhaps inevitably makes for mournful, introspective minimalism, though “Dreaming” offers greater melodic movement, as his instrument’s near-Celtic tone reaches for something like romance.