Monday, April 20, 2009

Record Review: Jacob Kirkegaard

Jacob Kirkegaard
Labyrinthitis
[2008, Touch]
4/5

Full review HERE. A particularly engrossing release from the rarely-disappointing Touch label, Jacob Kirkegaard here subverts the conventions of sound generation and music itself. In brief: the artist placed tiny microphones (those used to measure otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) in infant hearing-screening tests) into his ears, as well as little amplifiers. The process is explained in full in the review. This is easily the most "trying", "difficult", and "experimental" work I've ever analyzed, but also one of the most fascinating and rewarding. A 38 (!) minute drone-piece fills out the lavishly packaged album, replete with a booklet of insightful and very-explanatory essays on the nature of sound, the two-way communication of the ears, and sundry topics.

On a personal note, the circumstances behind this review seem very prescient -- I like to think that I was meant to write this review, to contemplate this specific piece of music. A year ago, I began considering audiology as a career. The only other personal blog posts on here reflect the anxiety I was facing as I awaited acceptance to FSU's College of Communication and the department of communication disorders. Well, I got accepted, and eagerly await my first audiology classes next spring (Fall, unfortunately, is all about comm. disorders in general). While I'm not sure if this is where I'm meant to be, I'm excited to explore this new, very alien-to-me venture (...no more writing courses, no more literature classes... I'm going go miss them).

Buy It
Listen
educate yourself

2 comments:

jny said...

Good luck!

Sarah said...

the dept. of communication disorders sounds so interesting!
hopefully the general fall classes will move quickly and make way for more exciting spring classes!