Sooner or later, Marta Mist is going to release an album, and it’s going to be spectacular. Over the past two years, the collective has been quietly releasing a series of singles, ranging from CD3″s to USB sticks, and has amassed an impressive body of work. The early highlight was the magnificent “Distance/Skeletal/Union”, which in its final minutes flirted with Richard Skelton territory; the string finale of “Years” (from Tonnes/Years) followed the same template, and reminded listeners that when enjoying a Marta Mist track, it pays to be patient. 2012’s first Marta Mist entry is another two-tracker, their third to date. The piano opening of “Crack the Sun to Yield a Blood Red Sky” provides the impression of a warm-up; we hear a rhythmic fumbling in the background like a person pulling instruments from a shed, while a bird seems to be offering its own helpful commentary. The strings make an earlier entrance than usual, which can only be a good thing; perhaps Marta Mist is finally learning not to hold back its trump card. No crescendo emerges; instead, the track descends into a locked groove and awaits the footsteps of its sibling.
“A Soldier’s Trench” is a feedback track, vaguely reminiscent of early Belong. The fuzz is like tinnitus, and the swooping tones that grace its ridges rise and fall like surface drones. Crunched electronics are added like splattered paint, but the real action begins as the track begins to sputter out. Sudden mutings of sound provide a deeper contrast like the deafness that follows a bomb. Now that the band has another weapon in its arsenal, it’s time to start thinking about that full-length; a collection of pre-existing material would be a solid start. (Richard Allen)
a closer listen 