The word “minutia” almost always appears in its plural form, “minutiae,” a collective designation for any number of things so small or trivial that they evade a first or even a second glance, or are intentionally ignored. In opposition, Ted Byrnes’s new tape goes beyond mere “attention to detail” and celebrates the specifics. If you follow him on social media, you’ll have seen numerous examples of the prolific abstract percussionist’s humbly research-based approach to his craft: countless clips of work with new objects, setups, and constraints, including one from the recording sessions that became Minutia. Here, the focused explorations have a domestic feel, warm and close by. The first track is a new favorite and a great example of how he can whip up a racket with a snare and a modest handful of noisemaking knickknacks (in this case, a wooden paddle ball toy and a couple of pinecones). The textural surprise near the end is cathartic in a raw, simple sort of way, revealing a reverent ear for progression even in such stripped-down contexts. Some of the meditations are more restrained, such as the fifth and final, which sees agile hand strikes and rolls sparring with the natural reverberations of a metallic vessel—a great example of what Byrnes describes as “my love for the incidental sounds that the objects I use create, and how to try to control those sounds while giving them their space.”
Copies are sold out from the label, but will soon be available from Byrnes himself, Scream & Writhe, and others.
Noise Not Music 