Stanciu

Many fine recordings over the years have taught me that they know Bach in Leipzig, so I expected a lot from this recording, and wasn’t disappointed. These are possibly the best, or at least equal to the best, performances of these frequently performed works I’ve ever heard. They are very fast, but there is no sense of the music being rushed; it simply erupts at this tempo as if it couldn’t help itself, as if this were the only way it could possibly be played. Having just finished reading and reviewing a book on the origins of our ideas of original performance practice, this recording is a perfect example of what it was all about, Bach’s music pretty much the way he played it and heard it himself.

Ten years ago, Carbon Based Lifeforms released TwentyThree, an LP that stripped away the downtempo/psybient grooves that gave earlier efforts such lush flavors. Venturing into pure ambient and drone territory was a natural decision for the band, although not one that a good part of their fan base desired. Now, the Swedish duo returned to these experiments, albeit in a more freeform fashion…