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| princess builder reviews | ||||
released november 2003 |
“a thing of delicate, atmospheric beauty” The Wire #251, January 2005 by Mia Clarke As founding member of the Victoria, British Columbia group Dixie's Death Pool, Lee Hutzulak spent more than a decade specializing in darkly evocative vocals and finely composed pop melodies. Now having relocated to nearby Vancouver, Hutzulak has begun to focus on his work as a solo artist and collaborator, abandoning rigid song structure in favor of improvisation and looser soundscapes. Princess Builder, his debut release under his own name initially started out as a song record. Two years later after much sonic shifting and sifting it has emerged as a thing of delicate, atmospheric beauty. As was his wont with Dixie's Death Pool, Hutzulak recorded Princess Builder with a variety of associates. Their contributions add distinctive flourishes to his kaleidoscopic compilation of field recordings and off-the-cuff samples of quietly clicking clarinet keys, wheezing accordion, and gentle whispering. The opening track, “Because And In Spite Of”, features a solo by saxophonist Masa Anzai, whose exquisitely minimal flutters on tenor are a far cry from the joyful boisterousness of his work with the Tony Wilson Quintet, and provide an intriguing introduction to the bristling cymbals and half spoken vocals of “The Uncertainty Principle”. Hutzulak's brother Todd also provides a wonderful, crackling range of tones on clarinet, and the juxtaposition of this with the stark sweeps of an upright piano on “Blue Friend” is subtle and complimentary. Though Hutzulak's impromptu recordings are picked apart and reworked before they make the final edit, much of Princess Builder is reminiscent of the real time improvisations of Supersilent and their exploitation of space within sound. The strength of Princess Builder lies in such minuscule attention to detail, as Hutzulak specifies in the liner notes: “Warning: NO! compression utilized in this recording = exciting frequencies. With this in mind, close your eyes and appreciate the silence at full volume.”
“a flawless arc” As leader of Dixie's Death Pool, Lee's sonic obscura gave us a pinhole glance into a miniature landscape of darkly evocative voices and melodies. Now joined by a cast of superlatively talented players, including Masa Anzai, Stephen Lyons, Julian Gosper, Thomas Shields and others, this latest recording carves a flawless arc between reflective acoustic repose and crackling chaotic noise. Hmmm... warm your hands on these flames of beauty.
“better than a box of chocolate liquors” Did you ever see Dixie's Death Pool? Man, they were great. Lee was their leader, and now he's branched off solo. Straddling the line between order and chaos, this acoustic album is better than a box of chocolate liquors. | “beautifully produced” Music Works #92, Summer 2005 by Chris Kennedy Lee Hutzulak seems to be a bit legendary in Vancouver, due to his years at the helm of Dixie’s Death Pool, an “experimental country noir ensemble”. With his new solo album, Princess Builder, Hutzulak ups the ante a bit, offering a CD that goes in two directions at once, resolving itself in the slightly oxymoronic genre of poppy experimental music. Beautifully produced, the tracks feature very closely miked instrumentation, a haze of electronic statics, and occasionally recognizable song structures. Hutzulak has called on a range of musicians to enhance his sketches, most notably Masa Anzai, with his delicate saxophone playing, Todd Mason on timpani, and Julian Gosper on electronics. Their measure contributions are woven into an ambient bed of sound that carries Hutzulak’s oblique melodies, pensive acoustic guitar playing and occasional hushed vocals as if he were suspended in a cloud of sound. The resulting mix ebbs in and out of quiet, psychedelically influenced soundscapes and perfect, indie-pop inflected moments. Hutzulak’s tight sound editing meshes the two elements seamlessly, creating a rather dreamy album – not quite hummable, but still achingly engaging and sonically exciting.
“gorgeous” The world would be a much better listening environment if more artists put listening guidelines in their albums. In the notes accompanying Princess Builder, Lee Hutzulak states, "NO! compression utilized in this recording = exciting frequencies. With this in mind, close eyes and appreciate silence at full volume." It's rather good advice, specifically designed to make you open your ears to the sounds between the silences made by Hutzulak and his amigos from various Victoria and Vancouver bands such as Shillelagh, Run Chico Run, Biscuit Queens and Dixie's Death Pool. It's the latter that provides the most clues, however, as DDP is Hutzulak's regular gig. If you've had the pleasure to hear DDP before, you know you're in for something disorienting, hushed and slightly off-kilter. This is not to say that you need to be a card-carrying member of the Difficult Music Society to appreciate the Princess Builder project. There are some downright pop moments ("A Refreshing Agent") and bare, gorgeous piano passages ("Blue Friend") that even Gran will find pleasant.
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| © 2005 Mutasis | contact Mutasis Records | |||||||