Eye of the Great Protector

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More About

• John Cage
• Brian Eno
• Electronic Music
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

This is spook music at its finest. The disembodied vocals, ritualistic percussion, and otherworldly bleating make a loosely defined plot in a rambling ghost story. Take "Temple of the Protector," a 10-minute-plus meditation on noise and minimalism. Comparisons range from Brian Eno to John Cage to Lightning Bolt, but each only partly sums up the feeling of this song—jarring the senses to the point of raising goose flesh. "Creeps We Are" is a further excursion into the outer rim, where the last strains of connectivity exist between "music" and "sound." Sparse guitar plucking tickles misfit rhythms, which occasionally ponder becoming friends. But Eye of the Great Protector inhabit a playground of outcasts. Each musical part becomes a pleasurable whole in its own right, forging together only to create isolating tension. This is why their feat is so respectable. It takes special skill to orchestrate chaos—and trained ears to appreciate its beauty. With Military Special, Bouncer Fighter, and Sharp Teeth. (Photo by Nik Maier)
Sat., Nov. 28, 10 p.m., 2009