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Fennesz & Jim O’Rourke
It’s Hard For Me To Say I’m Sorry (June 24, 2016)

Fennesz & Jim O’Rourke — It’s Hard For Me To Say I’m Sorry (June 24, 2016)

 Fennesz & Jim O’Rourke — It’s Hard For Me To Say I’m Sorry
Δ•   Viennese electronic pioneer Fennesz has built a following as expansive as his ambient soundscapes.
Δ•   Christian Fennesz and Jim O’Rourke tease out their differences across two long instrumental tracks that are alternately luminous and blustery.
Genre: Electronic
Style: Ambient, Experimental
J.O’R born: January 18, 1969
Location: Chicago, Illinois ~~ Tokyo, Japan
Birth name: Christian Fennesz
Also known as: Fennesz
Born: 25 December 1962
Origin: Vienna, Austria
Location: Austria
Album release: June 24, 2016
Record Label: Editions Mego/Commmons
Duration:     38:23  
Tracks:
01 I Just Want You To Stay     18:09
02 Wouldn’t Wanna Be Swept Away     20:14                               © Δ• Christian Fennesz II Photo credit: Luis Martins
AllMusic Review by Paul Simpson;  Score: ****
•¬•   Christian Fennesz and Jim O’Rourke have collaborated extensively in the past, but only as part of Fenn O’Berg, their trio with Editions Mego boss Peter Rehberg. It’s Hard for Me to Say I’m Sorry is their first work as a duo, and it’s a far cry from the playful improvisations of their group recordings. Sure, the album’s Chicago~referencing title (extending to both of its sidelong pieces, “I Just Want You to Stay” and “Wouldn’t Wanna Be Swept Away”) seems humorous and ironic, but the music actually takes the sentiments at face value. These slowly evolving suites express loss, emotional confusion, and heartache in an abstract yet engaging way. Fennesz’s signature guitar sound and laptop glitches are unmistakable, but there’s a bit more of an unhurried drift to them than on some of his solo work. The tracks aren’t meandering by any means, however. They’re constantly flowing and changing, ranging from soft and pretty ambient waves to more turbulent clouds of static. O’Rourke’s dusty slide guitar provides a nice counterpoint to the electronic elements, retaining an earthly quality while feeling spacious. Both pieces reach intense peaks filled with distortion, with blippy melodies shooting through the electrified haze. The album is too emotionally charged and abrasive to be accurately described as ambient music, but it still has a fair amount of calmer, more reflective moments. It’s actually quite refreshing that the album feels a bit loose and messy rather than pristinely recorded and sterile, and the spontaneity and lack of polish befit the music’s emotional rush. This is a beautiful, expertly paced release that logically fits in with both artists’ Editions Mego discographies, both as solo artists and with Fenn O’Berg. ♦  
Notes:
••→   Layout — Shunichiro Okada
••→   Photography by [Photos] — Jim O’Rourke
••→   Recorded in Kobe, Kyoto, Tokyo, September 2015                                 © Δ•  Jim O’Rourke ... Steamroom 2013 SDLX;  Tokyo
Description:
••→   Despite decades of activity and having crossed paths in various collaborations Editions Mego is honoured to release the first ever duo recording from two of the most highly regarded citizens of planet experimental electronic. Individually, Jim O’Rourke and Christian Fennesz have been responsible for numerous legendary works which merge the traditional avant~garde with contemporary sensibilities. On It’s Hard For Me To Say I’m Sorry these giants of experimental electronic practice come together for an immensely powerful sonic experience.
••→   The signature of both O’Rourke and Fennesz cohabit this new release with O’Rourke’s gurgling harmonies swimming amongst the shimmering frequencies and strummed melodies produced by Fennesz. Two side long tracks situate themselves as a warm electronic adventure. Simultaneously radical and comforting these works shift from gentle sonorities to fully distorted explosions all of which reside within a template of tension between musical and non~music matter.
••→   Timeless in execution and presentation “It’s Hard For Me To Say I’m Sorry” is a deeply rewarding sonic experience from two of the most romantic gentlemen active in experimental music today. ••→   http://editionsmego.com/
Also:
By Philip Sherburne, JUNE 29 2016 / Score: 7.4
••→   http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22030-its-hard-for-me-to-say-im-sorry/
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Fennesz & Jim O’Rourke
It’s Hard For Me To Say I’m Sorry (June 24, 2016)

ALBUM COVERS XI.