| Andrew Peterson’s personal obsession with specific dates and events (in particular, the date that a fortune-teller predicted his death) is documented in fantastic form through cut-and-paste field recordings, voice samples, assorted clicks, and off-kilter drumbeats. The album drops layers of thick, droning textures, it flashes brief, almost melodic, moments of synths, and it features quiet interludes of folk guitar.
Combining such dramatically different sounds is a risky undertaking. Poor composition could have easily made this recording a messy disaster. Some moments on this album certainly work better than others, but Peterson is true to his overall craft and May 23rd, 2007 rarely sounds haphazard or chaotic.
The songs on the album may feel a bit too short at times, (most of the tracks under the three minute mark) but more often than not, they are lengthened by their relationship to one another. The first four songs, for example, flow together like one long one. As do the "Oregon" series of songs that hit midway through. Still, a longer album would have done well. This is especially true of the droning elements that feel like they were cut off prematurely.
It is clear that this disc was intended to be listened to as an album, and not just a collection of songs. Tracks chain together while themes play-out and then reprise themselves later. Because of this, there are few songs that standout over the rest. "Bells in Bergamo" is very good: deep, tonal ring slowly pours itself into the foreground over an almost irrelevant series of harsher, faster bells. The marriage of the contradicting noises is superb. "November 22nd 2003" is another fantastic track: light, rolling samples of drums jump from left to right while a vocal sample turns on and off at the center. But pulling any one track from the rest is a disservice to all that had surrounded it. This album needs to be played in its entirety. Reviewed
by: Richie Corelli
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