Biota - Tumble (1989)

This album contains two distinct projects from Biota recorded between the fall of 1988 and the spring of 1989. Tumble, the longer of the two, has recurring hints of various flavors of American pop music, and in particular the music of the American West. Fingerstyle guitar is at the center of "Things Seem Like Just Happen," and the first half of "Wire Talker" is a twisted jig with bagpipes, kazoos, and concertina. Other pop influences include a jazzy saxophone line at the beginning of "House of Suitcase" and early rock on "Operator for Cataract" and a greater interest in melody than any previous work. But enumerating the various influences and elements barely scratches the surface of this album, as with all of their work. While there may be a recognizable instrument or two in the foreground, the listener is hard-pressed to pull specifics out of the murk that backgrounds the entire album. Biota's working methods almost always start with more or less traditional instruments, but electronic processing starts early and continues throughout the recording process. The slow concertina waltz that constitutes "Finder," for example, is accompanied by acoustic guitar and a simple percussion, but there is a big unspecified cloud out of which this material emerges. It is this cloud that gives Biota its instantly recognizable aura. Throughout Tumble, episodes succeed each other, presenting more different pieces than the track listing would suggest. "Ghost Shirt" is more abstract but still episodic, with clattering noise and percussion sections alternating with quiet melodies, reverb guitar, and demented blues riffs, and uses the same source material as "Operator for Cataract" and "Shadows Appear to Do."