Yellow6/egsun‘s new split disc is Worth Wasting Time over. It’s the rare split disc that works as a whole, following a clear progression from beginning to end. For the first four and a half minutes, the release is a cloud of drone, but drops of guitar melody soon begin to fall. For this we can thank Yellow6, who’s been recording for over two decades and has bucked the odds by remaining relevant. Some call John Attwood post-rock, others ambient, but the ambiguity is part of his appeal. Attwood’s two tracks occupy the opening 20 minutes of Worth Wasting Time, establishing a mood of contemplative calm. “The Start of the Decline” is a bridge that deserts the drone of “Concorde” to bask in bass. The addition of stringlike tones at the midpoint links this piece to Egsun, whose cello dominates the second half of the recording.
Egsun has been quiet for a long time, but not forgotten. His five tracks here should set the stage for a quiet comeback. In the last five years, many cellists have made an impact on a global stage, bringing the underground to the masses. As the cello and bells of “38 Grey Days” inhabit the speakers, the average listener will think of Danny Norbury, Zoë Keating and their contemporaries. Egsun fits right in with the best of them. The music box melodies of “Aliska in Wonderland” are similarly alluring; the echoing of notes lends the piece an appealingly random nature. But the artist saves the best for last: The plucked banjo of “Abracadabra” (no relation to the Steve Miller tune) exudes a homespun charm before retiring to reveal the strings beneath. (Richard Allen)
a closer listen 