Review: Fousek / Hansen / Tellier-Craig – No Way of Knowing (Never Anything, Aug 15)

Sound experimenters Karl Fousek, Devon Hansen, and Robert Tellier-Craig come together in this trio to create lush electronic soundscapes. After releases on Dinzu Artefacts and Spring Break Tapes over the past two years, their new tape on Never Anything, No Way of Knowing, is a short C30 filled with spacious electroacoustic constructions, the two pieces (it’s uncertain whether the music is composed or improvised) floating and swelling through different combinations of textures. It’s difficult to tell who contributed which sounds, but it’s not difficult to discern that these musicians really understand how to play well with each other; each element enters at the perfect time to complement and be complemented by the others already present. I’ve noticed at least three unifying categories of timbres used: the synthetic and mechanical, the airy and ethereal, and the organic and tactile. This latter group of sounds is probably the most unique characteristic of No Way of Knowing, and includes things resembling anything from footsteps in puddles to the rustling of dewy leaves; an obvious (but gorgeous) contrast to the tape’s more artificial facets.