Effect-worship ambience is a refuge and indulgence for many musicians, particularly guitarists, and makes for the side project fodder. These include some well-known acts: King Crimson‘s Robert Fripp (who is possibly the original ambient-side-gigger), Steven Wilson‘s project Bass Communion, and much of David Sylvian‘s collaborative work. Some lesser known and particularly worthwhile musicians with ambient side projects include ex-Agalloch‘s John Haughm, Swans‘ Norman Westberg, and Pan American as an offshoot of Labradford. These records are pensive and intriguing, but with some exceptions, their significance resides mostly with their respective artists – purely textural explorations of sound do not often pass their full meaning onto most listeners. Emma Ruth Rundle‘s new album, Electric Guitar Two: Dowsing Voice, is notionally a sequel to her previous experiments in ambience. It’s also a subversion of the usual expectation that an ambient record is just the product of “too many pedals” plus “spare studio time”. This is a unique project that thoroughly justifies its presence.
Eleven years ago, Rundle‘s first record Electric Guitar One was released to little fanfare. It was recorded in the back of a tour van, improvised on a travel-size guitar put through familiar delay and reverb effects. These are occasionally multi-tracked and complimented with a few vocal drones. It impresses a mysterious sense of perpetual motion, befitting a slow-motion road trip. Electric Guitar One is far from Rundle’s most significant piece of work but is perhaps making more and more sense as her discography becomes more and more diverse. Rundle’s extremely dark singer-songwriter catalogue now features three records in her unique style, heavy metal collaborations with Thou, stark ballads on Engine of Hell, and even some organ on her latest EP Orpheus Looking Back. Still, Electric Guitar Two: Dowsing Voice is an exception for Rundle, one even she describes as being her “weird art project” and is accompanied by an already sold-out art book and exhibition.
Electric Guitar Two: Dowsing Voice is a curious reverie – sparse, yet extraordinarily detailed and succinct. As you lean into its quiet moments to discern its secrets and structure, it seems aware of its observer, like an animal that doesn’t want to be found, and gently changes course for its next act. “EG” might once have stood for “electric guitar”, but it’s acoustic guitar that is much more present, immaculately recorded with lush dynamics and very little sonic treatment. Indeed, except for some rumbling drones and wispy echoes, effects do not broadly douse the album’s best sound sources, making what unfolds before you even more tangible. The moments most resembling Rundle‘s first ambient record of guitar ambience are the first and last tracks. In this way, the record charts a circular passage from Rundle‘s roots to her present state, embracing new sounds on the way.
Without doubt, the new sound which defines Electric Guitar Two: Dowsing Voice is the inclusion of voice in many forms. And that’s voice, not vocal – traditional singing is replaced with all sorts of vocalizations: panicked sighs, breathy barks, celestial crones, and stage-whispered secrets. Each song brings with it a new approach to using voice as an instrument. On lead single “Imbolc Dawn…“, Rundle multi-tracks her voice several times to become a swarm. Though each track may have improvisational roots, after thorough curation by Rundle, each finds its own trajectory and purpose. “Don Danann Dana Danu Ana” is the most clearly improvisational piece, featuring stop-start acoustic guitar accompanied by vocalizations that follow pleasant yet foreboding melodies. “The Tempest On Trefasser” is another lengthy piece centered around a hurried acoustic guitar improvisation, accompanied by reversed and reverbed sounds – perhaps the record’s least remarkable moment, missing the record’s trademark vocal experimentation.
The most unusual vocal moment is on “In The Cave Of The Cailleachs Death“, where there is a certain humor to what unfolds that can’t be ignored. The short track places you before a dark cavern, enchanted by what sounds like a choir in agony. Quickly, you’re surrounded – they excitedly behold you in rhythmic trance before fainting in unison. The following tracks (“Gathering Around…)” continue this scene, reintroducing acoustic guitar as the choir retreats into the depths, having imparted their wisdom. You follow (“Brigid Wakes…”) to find a subterranean spring the choir tends, appreciating together a moment of calm. Or something like that. On the final track (“In Sadness…”) the vocalizations are almost intelligible, as if we’ve been immersed in this dream for long enough that the crows are starting to make sense.
Electric Guitar Two: Dowsing Voice was composed January to February 2020, in a time where Rundle sought solitude in Wales during a turbulent life period. The influence of these surroundings leave a clear mark on the material. This is not just in the esoteric track titles; somehow, within the quietness of the album and the rapturous qualities of the vocals, a reverence for nature and the earth is clear. While the record’s improvisational approach is itself a natural way to grow a performance into a song, the album’s atmosphere emphasizes the dramatic and fatal qualities of nature. Indeed, despite previously alluding to guitar addicts that want to astound you as they twist their reverb pedals, I find this record is much more like the work of Terje Isungset, who also explores vocalizations of all kinds, and natural instruments like wind and ice.
After finishing these recording sessions of solitude in February 2020, it’s fair to say the remainder of 2020 was no more kind to anyone, let alone Rundle. It’s fortunate that she has been able to keep so productive and release some of her best work in this period. Despite its less-than-usual properties, Electric Guitar Two: Dowsing Voice now becomes a vitally important part of this canon. It functions brilliantly both as an ambient album, possessing a unique atmosphere and a wealth of great textures, but also functions as a cinematic record, rewarding your full attention.
8/10
Electric Guitar 2: Dowsing Voice releases on May 13th, 2022, via Sargent House. You can stream the album on Bandcamp here.