Charles Oparin -- They've Gone Past Zero -- [An Independent Artist]

1. film intro
2. they've gone past zero
3. mute (fold)
4. am / pm
5. sound character
6. sickly
7. river passing 10+mins
8. suzieQ
9. ocean bloating
10. invoe
11. sunlight
12. mexico obscured by the sun
13. night fading through

Charles Oparin is the genius work expressed by one Jake Hardy out of Saskatchewan Canada. The sounds on They've Gone Past Zero stretch my imagination beyond a number of genres and well beyond the sub-genres. There really isn't a means by which I can classify this release, as it is all quite different from track to track and represents two years of hard work and effort on behalf of this sound sculptor.

The music almost defies description -- it's on the thin edge of the chaos wedge. There's a good amount of crunchy deep drum beats throughout some of the tracks. There are also interesting male and female vocal samples that capture my attention in terms of the content and how they were/weren't manipulated. There are plenty of strange effects that range from buzzing saws to twisted drones, scathing noise and shifting timbre. There is beauty and harshness in the abrupt melodies. Beats vary from racing chops to softer pulsing. Expansive ambient drone and dark rumbling eruptions add a sinister feel to some of the sections.

The elements I enjoy most on this release are the percussion and the noises coupled with the frequency of their changes. The percussion is never the same for very long within a track and the short bursts are usually easy to follow yet structurally complex. It is at times powerful yet at other times less obtuse, and seem to fit well into the overall [chaotic] patterned approach within each composition. The rhythms are created with various sounds from guitar and raging or soft pulses of synth-noises, loops and samples.

There are hundreds of intentional *noises* on this release and it appears that each track is well constructed and deeply premeditated. Some noises are more obvious and in your face than others, such as the buzzing of a saw on metal, screeching zzz's and abruptly emerging crunchy drum beats and ticks, whereas some are more subtle opiate drones and grumbling bass. There are a couple tracks that are more ambient and quiet in nature then the others, but even those are interesting.

A few of my music associates/friends and I consider music like this to be music for people with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) because it doesn't bore, there's never a seemingly dull moment, it's more often than not, *busy*. The more I work I hear created by independent artists like Charles Oparin, the more I realize there is a high amount of quality music by people who have a great amount of creative talent and are often overlooked or less favoured than bands signed to majors. I think the United States need a new label for "Experimental" music. I'd sign Charles Oparin if I owned one such label.

[Charles Oparin is part of a musician's collective called December Fifth Co-Op. Should you wish to inquire into what these folks are doing with their talents, email them and ask.]