Concrete Plastic, 2007
Deciduous Flood Plains begins with an electronic buzz, then a cool synthesizer rain. On “Bees,” writhing bass plays counterpoint to shimmering washes of sound. Similarly, “Canopy” is slow-building and broody. “Portabello” [sic] is incredibly noisy with left-channel clicking and an undercurrent of distortion. Yard must have had a real bad experience with a cremini. “Pacquet” is dark and acidic with oppressive metallic screams in the background. At the end everything drops out but for an echo and the beat. On “Synthetic Waves,” the high-pitched sounds make me think of early Chicago rhythm tracks. Finally, “New Beginnings” is pretty yet unsettling with organ drones.
Deciduous Flood Plains reminds me of Speedy J’s Public Energy No. 1, one of my all-time favorite albums. Somehow Yard manages to coax poetic, natural sounds out of hard electronics. The result is beautiful and atmospheric; each listen is a memorable experience.