Welcome to the sound world of Pal Toth, aka én, where nothing is quite what it seems and your only tool to figure it out is your imagination. Toth leaves no liner notes, no track titles, and barely an album title and artist name -- they say so little they might as well be missing. Even Marc... [+] Expand

Welcome to the sound world of Pal Toth, aka én, where nothing is quite what it seems and your only tool to figure it out is your imagination. Toth leaves no liner notes, no track titles, and barely an album title and artist name -- they say so little they might as well be missing. Even Marc Behrens' cover artwork gives the impression of a trace left by something missing: hurried scribbles on a piece of wood on the front and the markings of four pieces of Scotch tape that once held in place a square of...something. Each of the three lengthy tracks presents roughly the same materials using the same method. Ambient sound recordings (the hiss of a room), the clang of metal on metal, creaking doors and floors, etc., are placed like objects in a vast, echoey room. They move slowly and are treated in a way that slightly alters reality so as to make further treatments (time stretching, reverb) sound plausible. Early on, each piece leaves a lot of room for silence and very gradually fills up its space, then ends with a bang (a door slammed shut or a final reverberating clang). It seems that the artist aims at giving the impression of static movement despite an obvious rise in activity and decibel. Op.10218 v1.2 requires your full, undivided attention if you don't want it to disappear into the background noise of your everyday life. If you hold on for the ride, it will unfold like a walk around a sinister haunted house. Just don't expect tacky sound effects. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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