Mystery Method Collection

Percussionist Charles K. Noyes was a very active member of the downtown New York avant scene of the late '70s and early '80s, performing with musicians such as John Zorn, Elliott Sharp, and Fred Frith, before retreating from view during the '90s. Full Stop provides a fairly full picture of what he was up to, compiling solo works recorded from 1990-1999. The overall mood is a bleak and harsh kind of ambient music, soundtracks for a barren, desensitized landscape but one that holds more than a hint of mystery. Percussion as a rhythmic element is almost entirely absent here. Instead, Noyes utilizes a range of processed sounds, strings, electronics, and the occasional musical saw to produce sonic pictures that might be described as the Eno of On Land in a particularly morose and misanthropic mood…

Whoever may believe that he has found, in this book, a collection of recipes through which he can effortlessly obtain honor, fame, wealth and power or the means to annihilate his enemies should be told that eventually he will very disappointedly put this book aside.