Despite the seeming ubiquity of the internet, it remains the case that the vast bulk of those with access to its magical powers remain in Western, or at least, western-influenced areas. As such, the promise of being able to encounter music from all around the world is rarely met, and so it comes as a pleasant surprise to come across an album from Argentine-Peruvian duo Ricarda Cometa. Their new album, ‘Ricarda Cometa 2’ probably exists outside of the ken of many reading this site, but for those who go dizzy over Sonic Youth’s many side projects, or the recent art-rock sound-clash of Martin Bisi’s ‘BC35’, ‘Ricarda Cometa 2’ is an improvisational work well worth exploring. Recorded by Sam Nacht at Estudio Libres in Buona Aires and mixed/mastered by Jorge Espinal, ‘Ricarda Cometa 2’ recalls the sonic ecstasy of the no-wave movement and taps into that same rich vein of de-constructivism that saw artists such as Glenn Branca experiment with form and tuning in ways so far ahead of their time, their work is still being analysed and explored some thirty years later.
Comprising eleven pieces ranging from just over a minute in length to just under four, ‘Ricarda Cometa 2’ is no conventional album that can be explored in our standard track-by-track format. Pieces emerge from the intense heat of the South American climate only to fragment before your very eyes, Tatiana Heuman’s infallible sense of rhythm spread through the disjointed prism of Jorge Espinal’s guitar work. The result is strangely hypnotic, as witnessed on (longest track) ‘Bbanca, Tu Tranquilo’, which explores similar sonic territory to latter-day Fugazi, Jorge shifting from subtle harmonics to bursts of reverb-drenched noise against a tribal beat that speaks of primitive fertility rites and dark ritual in secluded areas of dense rain forest. It’s music that demands to be played loud, the carnal rhythms flowing through you as the dense layers of noise emerge from the darkness in a way rarely heard since Sonic Youth unleashed ‘sonic death’ upon a reeling and disoriented audience. Tunings are intuitive rather than according to any recognisable scale, and as the clanking, proto-industrial nightmare of ‘Estoy Afuera’ eclipses the light, it’s hard not to recall the frozen horror of early Swans recordings, Ricarda Cometa utilising a similar technique of repeat-and-augment, forging atypical, avant-jazz pieces (‘Echando Unos Taquitos)’; taut, explosively percussive tracks (‘Dale Mecha’) and moments of doom-laden intensity (‘Anti Gas’). No two tracks sound the same and the exploratory nature of what unfolds feels improvisational and expansive, the music as much a revelation to the artist as to the audience. It is exhilarating, captivating even, and it sounds quite unlike anything to be found in the commercial sphere.
Music such as this is clearly not for everyone. It is notable that Sonic Youth gained greater acceptance by deftly infusing their wilder sonic fancies with a pop sensibility that had more in common with the Beatles than Branca, and even the Swans allowed the fiery furnace of their early ardour to cool in a pool of post-rock ambience as they developed. Few have had the courage and even fewer have had the ability to follow in their footsteps, and, in ‘Ricarda Cometa 2’ we find a remarkable clash of styles that seems to draw inspiration from the earth itself. Hypnotising, even beautiful in places, it offers little for those who draw comfort from convention and, packaged in its mesmerising digipack (Hideyuki Katsumata), there’s a sense that you’re holding a piece of art in your hands. Further evidence, as if any were needed, that Nefarious Industries are ahead of the curve when it comes to discovering acts of genuine artistic courage, ‘Ricarda Cometa 2’ is an avant-garde trip that deserves to be undertaken. Ramp up the volume, close your eyes and let your imagination run riot, for this album is less a musical adventure than a portal to far-flung climes. 9
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