Winter

Subtle – Winter (2002) self-released

1. 12/21/02 12:00-12:37am

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The third installment of the Four Seasons. Winter is the one outlier. The entire EP is a single improvised session. The experience is extremely desolate, aligning it much closer to it's namesake than the other EPs. This also makes it the most challenging of the seasons. Aside from being completely free-form, Subtle toys with preconceptions of live improvisation, using samples & field recordings. Percussive elements are impossible to identify, including whether they're sampled or not.

The one constant is Alexander Kort's cello. It's the glue that binds the track together. The band remains highly restrained, slowly building up a dialogue. The hesitation doesn't lift up until the second half of the recording. The keyboards are terribly low in the mix, but if you turn up the volume you uncover a wealth of electronics, adding much more to the improvisation. From here on out the days only get longer.