Matthew Mullane | Thurston Moore | Allen Karpinski
Vin du Select Qualitite Series

Rating: 4 out of 5

http://www.vdsqrecords.com/

Vin Du Select Qualitite, the ambitious acoustic guitar series, curated by Steve Lowenthal of Swingset Magazine and Plastic Records, released three new albums of diversity and exploration in the unplugged musical genre. This series — which has thus far featured musicians like Joshua Blatchley, Mark McGuire, and Chris Brokaw — adds more prestigious names to its roster with the possibilities of many more to come.

Matthew Mullane has written a few impressive academic articles including one in particular about the aesthetics of sound and has recorded under various incarnations like Non Group and Fabric. His approach to the acoustic guitar is like having a dinner conversation with an old friend. The note-induced communication that is involved is impressive and comforting with a dominance of counter notes fluttering about in the distance to give the pieces depth.

You hear it on all three of his compositions: “Once Was It Once Again, Parts I and II” and “A Second Choir.” Mullane lets his songs spring to life by moving his pieces with a natural flow that you cannot help but sail along with. He uses space and stops with such ease that the song breathes and moves gracefully. Like a rollercoaster, Mullane dances with excitability just as graciously as he does with lento as if he’s giving the listener time for it all to sink in before sending us down that next hill. Either way, there is movement in concept and time to Mullane’s precise fingering.

Thurston Moore reacts with more random thought patterns. A collection of shorter pieces, Moore expresses himself through classic Moore disconcerting notes. You can expect his distinct style peppered throughout; a sense of harsh fantasy through mystical beauty. “Lord Chesterfield,” “Gouden Carolus,” and “De Ryck Arend Dubbel,” you are shoved around with angularity and harsh picking. An Alert Ayler for the fingers, Moore is one of the few musicians in this world who can take an acoustic guitar and send you on a wild ride by turning the traditional conceptions of music upside down.

Six Parts Seven member Allen Karpinski dives into his five-song collection by creating textured variations like splashing color on a canvas. His introspective musical nature is more meditative than it is directive. From the repetitious ambience of “High Altitude Headache,” Karpinski mimics what many try to do using electronics and layering. His layering effects cheat within the realm of acoustic construction by using background electric pedal effects. No one ever said this series is for acoustic purists. He satisfies those people soon enough with the sparse acoustic “Who To Ask Headache,” a contemplative number that slows the world down to a level of quiet ordain.  You feel his shuttering under one lonely note and a natural order that sheds beauty without him blatantly trying to.

With the latest releases and the ones that have been released, Vin Du Select Qualitite has proven to be a substantial series in the realm of experimental and unplugged soundscapes and one to watch out for.