Anduin

After a home burglary left him without the majority of gear and sound files used for his Anduin project, Richmond, VA's Jonathan Lee used what material he had left to create Stolen Years, his third solo release. Field recordings, drones that evoke Angelo Badalamenti's soundtrack work for David Lynch and minimal electronic percussion provide a framework for the eloquent saxophone contributions of jazz musician Jimmy Ghaphery. Lee conjures a noir-ish atmosphere on par with the nightmarish world crafted by Lynch, revealed in films such as Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive. The unsettling nature of Lee's sonic narrative is paralleled by the accompanying art. Each piece is mirrored by a double-sided card complete with haunting, hand drawn imagery. Really, the only uplifting aspect of this package is the fact that despite losing such a vast amount of work and gear, Lee dusted himself off and created what is undoubtedly a minor masterpiece of sonic horror.