For the first release on his newly minted Graphical label, Mark Templeton presents an LP + DVD collaboration with video artist Kyle Armstrong that draws inspiration from media theorist Marshall McLuhan's ideas of the "collective digital consciousness." Templeton, whose excellent early releases tended towards complex and precise cut and paste edits of instrumental pieces, leapt into a less controlled and melodic realm with Jealous Heart in 2013. On Extensions, he continues along this organic "played rather than made" path, finding intersections of music, noise and information that perfectly suggest the background electronic saturation of our day to day.
Even (and maybe especially) without Armstrong's accompanying visual pieces (not included in the review package) Templeton's flowing collages open the floodgates to personal interpretations both emotional and cerebral. And for all the big-brained baggage packed beneath the work, Extensions is an enjoyable, meditative, listening experience you don't need a master's degree to appreciate.
(Graphical)Even (and maybe especially) without Armstrong's accompanying visual pieces (not included in the review package) Templeton's flowing collages open the floodgates to personal interpretations both emotional and cerebral. And for all the big-brained baggage packed beneath the work, Extensions is an enjoyable, meditative, listening experience you don't need a master's degree to appreciate.