K11 – Metaphonic Portrait: 1230 A.D. CD

Actual Noise

Deeply contemplative, gorgeously dense, and highly composed without feeling rigid, K11’s Metaphonic Portrait: 1230 A.D. is a collection of ambient sounds and textures recorded in the lower basilica of the Assisi Cathedral. Ghostly and forlorn yet vibrant and fascinating, this album truly presents a vast span of sonic beauty and decomposition. Evolving slowly and patiently, each track presents the listener with a sort of denseness that communicates a real sort of presence in the sound that is highly organic and immediately relatable. Not one second here is misused. The reverb and spacey vibes are heavily present here; it feels like K11 really is communicating through his music a sort of spiritual morse code, relayed by the spirits that have past inhabited the cathedral.

While the electronic aspect definitely comes out in the warbling, radiant distortion, the feel of Metaphonic Portrait as a whole is very organic, as if we’re witnessing these sounds as they happen rather than experiencing a recording of them. The range here is astounding, from full and pulsating to lonely and isolationist to deep and contemplative, and not only that, but the speed with which the tracks translate from one sound to another is just about perfect. Metaphonic Portrait makes a very tasteful and efficient use of its rather limited sonic palette; I wasn’t found wanting on any part of this album.

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