Search - Pelt :: Empty Bell Ringing in the Sky

Pelt at their best

C. Moon | Valley Village, CA | 11/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Its been interesting to watch Pelt develop from a strange quasi-indie band into a sort of alternative to the NZ noise scene into what is recorded here...something that is really beyond comparison to anything else at all. Transcendent is the best word. This music seemingly draws parallels to the classical music of Penderecki and Ligeti, but it is not classical music. It also might be compared to the music of India, yet its harmonies are wholly unknown to that nation. Realistically, Pelt achieves something similiar to the Raga style in that it is transcendent music, even to a point of transcending form. What this band accomplishes here is on a higher order. It is thick, dark, other-worldly stuff--which doesn't mean its full of electronics and other gizmos. Pelt has quite the organic sound, but Tibetan Monks showed us a long time ago that you could get to those outer spaces with nothing more than sustained voice. Pelt does that here, as well as on the excellent 'Rob's Choice' CD. To try to physically describe it would serve no purpose. If you are a serious listener of music...music that can be frightening because it is trying to do something that is new--trying to be more than just music, then you really can't go wrong by purchasing this CD."