Austin’s FiRES WERE SHOT are one of the premier experimental/drone duos. For twenty years the band, which consists of John Wilkins and Clay Walton, have been making deeply heavy and meditative acoustic music. Taking their sound from a run-of-the-mill folk duo into almost Komische/Berlin School territory by layering their instruments in various effects and utilizing tape loops. The results are truly forward-thinking music that transcends the boundaries of any limitations two acoustic guitars and a 4-track might offer.
Today Holodeck Records proudly releases the band’s new single in their ongoing series of amazing songs by their ever expanding and sonically rich roster. “Dripping Bright” is a mesmerizing and almost hallucinogenic single by FiRES WERE SHOT. It’s 6 minutes of looping guitars slathered in tape hiss, densely-layered effects, and an almost hypnotic drone that pulls the listener into a fuzzy mindset.
There’s a calming effect that comes once the song envelopes you into its analog warmth. Wilkins and Walton capture the adventurous spirit of 70s avante garde composers like Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and John Cage; as well as German electronic music pioneers Cluster, Florian Fricke, and Klaus Schulze. There’s a fascinating combination of rustic simplicity and mind-expanding experimentation that FiRES WERE SHOT captures, and “Dripping Bright” is a calm meditation on finding a center to lock into and sink peacefully for a bit.
“Dripping Bright” is available now. Listen to it below, then head over to Holodeck Records Bandcamp page and buy it now.
Complex Distractions 