Ken Wohlrob Releases New Single “Variac”
If you only know New York’s Ken Wohlrob from his work in doom crunchers Eternal Black or projects like Northern Heretic and the hardcore-minded End of Hope or the pandemic-born Swarm of Flies, “Variac” is likely going to seem pretty far out from all of that, but the guitarist’s second solo single behind this Spring’s “Simulacrum” (posted here) follows suit with the guitar-based drone methodology proffered in that track. I get a distinctly Tribes of Neurot impression from the near-seven-minute “Variac” — some of the violin-aimed effects and guitar-in-vacuum feel remind me of Grace, but can certainly be related to any according number of ambient works — but no question Wohlrob is exploring the form, and the result of his work is an evocative and immersive standalone piece.
I asked Wohlrob after “Simulacrum” whether these songs were leading to an album and the answer I got rounded out to a solid “maybe.” Fair enough. Of course, if the material in question hit a nerve with listeners and the demand was made, I don’t imagine there’d be much argument about putting out an LP, but such ethereal sounds are a form of extremity in music and so almost always have a limited reach, so I wouldn’t bank on that. It’s up to him, then, and probably part of the whether-or-not will come down to how the songs flow when there are enough of them to comprise an LP. We’ll see when we get there, and there’s a ways to go.
But for now, this track is out today through various streaming outlets, and I’ve got both singles at the bottom of this post for those feeling low-key bold enough to take them on. If that’s you, enjoy:
KEN WOHLROB – “Variac”
niku-zuki-no-men (肉付きの面, mask with flesh attached)
Our brains are a strange lockbox. What we choose to keep in there is inexplicable. I was watching Kaneto Shindō’s Onibaba. The soundtrack by Hikaru Hayashi utilizes a sharp sound to heighten the tension, possibly a bow being drawn rapidly across a violin or viola for a quick instant, especially when a character appears wearing the demon-like Hannya mask. The velocity of that single note was strangely compelling. It stuck, much like the flesh to the mask in the film. I don’t know why. But at odd moments it would rise up from my subconscious. I would hear that high-velocity note. And I would see the mask from the film…
“Variac” started with that sound. Or rather, creating my own version of it. Can we be haunted by a musical sound?
But like all the soundscapes I’m creating, it grew into something else…
Memories are not like movies. They don’t have story beats. Or a three-act structure. They’re more fluid. One bleeding into the next with no rhyme nor reason. Layer upon layer triggered by the devil knows what. Ever found yourself saying, “It’s weird, but I just thinking about…”?
I can’t tell you what you should feel when listening to “Variac.” It’s probably going to be different because I haven’t lived your life. And I don’t know what you’ve got tucked away in the subconscious behind the mask.
releases August 23, 2024
Performed and produced by Ken Wohlrob
Recorded at Quatre Cagne, Mohegan Lake, NY
June-July 2024
Obsidian Sky Records #010
https://www.instagram.com/kenwohlrob/
https://soundcloud.com/kwohlrob/
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