Current

VINYL FORMAT. Sam Goldberg is a Cleveland, Ohio multi-instrumentalist/composer who has been running in garage rock/electronic underground circles for the last half of the '00s. He also curates and operates the Pizza Night cassette label, one of the most beloved underground cassette headquarters of the Midwest as of late. Unique, timeless, and clever constructions of sound created with many instruments like synthesizers, rhythm boxes, and electric guitars provide a wide scope of varied colored tones from release to release. This debut record, Current, is an early document of Sam's solo guitar work. Side A consists of a hazy and humid melodic stasis that may be known from the Emeralds/Sam Goldberg 2007 tour cassette. This side contains an untitled piece that evokes a sense of longing and discontent while simultaneously hitting the deep and raw channels of the subconscious, featuring a gorgeous wash of clouded, ringing guitar not unlike Glenn Branca's Symphony No. 2. On the flip side, another phantom composition played only a few times live and recorded over a year ago in a similar weightless, sky guitar fashion, rounds out the double-side long debut. 'Carol' is a great example of massive tonal landscapes that can be born with minimal processing and careful compositional dynamic. Indeed, the sound of the instrument remains quite impressive throughout the album. The universal longevity of this record, however, will lie in the perfect placement of simple musical practices like chord changes, timbre and dynamics. Current has a style quality all its own from the avant garde to pop rock with everything in between. No pretentions, no exponentiations of contemporary concerns. Current stands as a pure and unwavering document of self-expression, a characteristic that the all-time best albums have. It's a rare case when music with no lyrics or vocals can pave a path to an extraordinary understanding of one's own augmented reality. Outstanding debut album that defies the past and future and only breathes in the present moment.