Say No

This 3" CD ranks among Adam Sonderberg's strangest, most abstract, and difficult releases. An exploration in sound and the absence thereof, it proposes five pieces of very quiet music. Gestures are kept to a minimum, leaving the listener guessing the what, how, and why of it all. Even at a high volume level, "Gunnel Lindblom" is almost nothing, a non-event field recording. "Sor" introduces a high-pitched sine wave. The next three tracks feature contributions by Sam Dellaria (record player), Boris Hauf (computer), and Geraldine Vo (accordion). In the case of the first two, their presence is hard to assess. Vo's hesitating tone, more breath than note, makes her easier to spot. This short album is sequenced to create abrupt transitions, which act like wake-up calls, between pieces. The listener comes out of the 16 minutes uncertain about what happened and wishing for more to make up his/her mind. Say No is a puzzling journey to the outer limits.