From its beginnings as a radio show (on Curious Broadcast) of unique archived recordings from an underground car park, it's been a joy to watch Abandon Reason grow and crystallise into something bigger and more tangible: now a record label, so far in 2013 it's given us a superlative compilation ("I'm In The Abyss!" - reviewed for The Quietus here), a second cassette release from harmonium-drone/wordless-vocal trio Gorges and some beautiful artwork to go along with those releases (courtesy of musicians already involved in the label or its recordings, such as Brigid Power-Ryce and Kaiser Caimo). There's an aesthetic coherence to the project and a loving attention to detail, evident in titles and literary references as well as in the sound palette or musical approach: the name of Gorges' tape - Our Throats, Like Valleys - sounds like it could be included in an Abandon Reason version of 'Oblique Strategies', while its track titles "take inspiration from early 19th century deep-sea explorations which led to the discovery of thousands of new specimens of florae and faunae, disproving the notion of an azoic sea-bed and establishing oceanographic practice". Fertile thematic ground, and somewhat appropriate considering how much of a role the sound (or even suggestion) of water - dripping on dank surfaces or being pumped through machinery - plays in the label's car-park recordings. The idea of deep-sea explorations and oceanography is also a neat parallel to the way the recordings on I'm In The Abyss and Our Throats, Like Valleys sonically map out the unique nuances and character of the cavernous, 4-stories-deep space they were recorded in.
It remains to be seen where Abandon Reason will take things in the future, as the beloved recording space in question has apparently been sealed off by the po-po. The final (or possibly only) straw was the launch 'gig' for the Abyss... compilation back in January, an all-day improv affair that saw a host of musicians/sound artists making their mark on the space (or letting the space make its mark on them). Recordings from that day have been uploaded to the Abandon Reason Bandcamp under the title Pouring God Into God (a nod to JD Salinger). It's an ongoing project (with the plan to make the collection freely downloadable 'once everything is up'), but for now there's eight recordings to immerse yourself in. There's a real sense of alchemy at play throughout; an air of mystery and otherworldliness hangs to the recordings, with the kind of natural reverb and resonances that no plugin or production technique could hope to match. The recording
space seems to be acting as conductor, the musicians merely responding to its acoustics.
'Guitar, Voice, Violin, Melodica' is a mournful sounding number, with eerie keyboard tones and expressive melodica commingling with wordless vocals that seem to emanate from a dark corner or passageway, at the edges of your perception but compelling nonetheless. 'Banjo, Keyboard, Voice, Balloon' is performed by just Aaron Coyne (Yawning Chasm) and Declan Q Kelly, but the sound they create is simultaneously minimal and vast enough to fill the space around them. The banjo in particular is an instrument that interacts magically with the acoustics of the car park, not just here but on the Abyss... compilation as well: it takes on a looping, soothing, serene and somewhat spiritual quality. Possibly the most impressive and gripping track, meanwhile, is (deep breath) 'Saxophone, guitar, viola, laptop, drums, trombone, flute, nefar', on which alternately dissonant and rich blasts of sax rebound off the walls while ominous viola tones provide dramatic tension.
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