CD-R, Siridisc, 2006
www.davidwells.freeuk.com
When I first heard that the first track on David Wells “Op.2” was originally released as part of Paul Bradley’s “Drone Works’ series I knew I was in for a treat, as many of my favourite musicians in the “drone” scene have contributed to the series (such as Andrew Liles, Colin Potter and Irr. App. (Ext.).
With Op.2 David Wells gives us three wonderful drone tracks with layers of wondrous sounds. The first one opens up with subtle and ominous drones and then layers into piercing high frequencies before mellowing out again. There’s even running water heard among the drones during part of the track. These things blend together to create what I can only describe as a sense of urgency or unrest. The second track opens with static-like noise that fades into beautiful drones and as it progresses you can hear traces of the static weaving in and out of the dominating drones. Eventually though, the drones become overpowering and all traces of the other noise are completely driven away. Each piece is well layered without taking ages to progress (a problem several musicians working in this field have had). Also the sound quality is top notch and the production sounds very professional. Mr. Wells knows what he is doing and he does it very well.
Obviously, if you can’t stand drone music this release will not be something you like. But for fans of drones or people looking to start listening to drone music “Op. 2” is definitely worth your time.
[9/10]
— Charlie Martineau