Rhys Mottley - Parasite [Splitrec 028]

Coming in from the headoffices of the Australian imprint Splitrec only recently was "Parasite", the new solo album effort by Splinter Orchestra-member Rhys Mottley. Based on prepared acoustic guitar we see Mottley present an array of three compositions stretched out over the course of 49 minutes, with the opening "Gut Feeling" occupying more than half of the total playtime. This tune, as the rest of the album recorded in an abandoned Sydney sports club, is like a deep meditation on percussive, yet well-stripped down Post-PostRock carefully performed and evolved by the former Metal guitarist who's able to touch the inner core of the human subconscious with these slightly varied, ever evolving repetitions slowly and steadily progressing into more of an electro-acoustic take on experimental Ambient soundscapes with squealing metal sounds and scraping surface noises whereas the subsequent "Throat Feeling" provides an inward-looking jouney into the realm of minimalist, tenderly plucked guitar figures as well as what can be described as a beauteous, ultra-calm overall vibe for PostRock lovers and those beyond. Finally, "Ear Feeling" brings forward a tense, flickering and partly score'esque arrangement with a slightly post-apocalyptic touch, telling dark tales of lurking, yet unspoken of dangers and a world torn down in which only echoes of human civilisation still exist whilst nuclear tumbleweed finds its way through abandoned streets and into progressively decaying ruins of what once west a thriving metropolis. Great stuff. Recommended.