Review: Tarentel, The Order of Things
What is this? One recorded hour of understated, trembling sonic beauty that never overextends its reach; six intertwined pieces–one a Ricki Lee Jones cover–evoking wind, damp, Japanese space stations, closed and humidified sick rooms, haunted libraries, dimpled lake surfaces stressed under storm.

Those who may have heard (but not listened to) Tarentel's previous work may have mistakenly thought they were the American Mogwai, defenders of volume and intricate guitar picking patterns. The Order of Things is a singular achievement for the band's second full length. Under the guidance of Jefre Cantu Ledesma, the instruments here include harp, cello, pedal steel, vibraphone and more; at no point during the course of the album does it seem cluttered. Every sound balances distinctly with its neighbors; as the title implies, the orchestration and placement of these elements is the focus of the music. The opener, "Adonai", is a careful, looped guitar melody decorated with trumpet that slowly introduces more instrumentation and manipulated sound. The generative feel of this track carries on throughout the work, with each sound birthing the next. When Wendy Allen sings the first lines of "Ghostyhead" it's startling because you then realize you've been listening to her sing wordlessly for several bars; as her voice disintegrates into ribbons beneath the extended cello tones that constitute the first passage of "Death in the Mind of the Living", which ultimately gives way to the hollow, cavernous chimes of "Pneuma," the combined effect is almost indescribeably sad. "Blessed | Cursed", the uncertain, possibly positive, possibly cautionary coda, fittingly brings to mind the mysterious final act of Kubrick's 2001. The Order of Things is a contemplative album and, I think, an important one for post-rock.

Labels: reviews, tarentel, temporary residence