christopher bissonette

Periphery

As a member of the "world renowned free media experimental unit" Thinkbox, Christopher Bissonnette is well versed in the ability to transform the mundane into the grandiloquent (word alert!); a talent he exudes by the bucket load on 'Periphery'. With 2005 shaping up to be an embarrassingly rich year in terms of delicately wrought, composer led music (pretty much anything on Type, Porn Sword Tobbaco, Marsen Jules, William Basinski... we could go on), Bissonnette nonetheless holds his own with 'Periphery' fluttering beautifully from the off. Described by the artist as sinuous, the digitally manipulated coalitions of orchestra, piano and micro-sound clicks do indeed spill forth with a very definite predilection, lending the likes of 'In Accordance' and 'Tenor Viol' a quality not unlike conscious smoke. Yeah, we're well aware that sounds like GCSE bollocks, but it's hard to know quite how to describe these utterly majestic micro symphonies. Likely to appeal to anyone who was bewitched by Wolfgang Voigt's "Gas", Marsen Jules and even Deathprod, or have found themselves increasingly drawn to their headphones of late, 'Periphery' is a florid gem of a record that deserves to be centre of attention. Marvellous.