Steve Reich: Different Trains; Electric Counterpoint
by Kronos Quartet / Pat Metheny

From ForegroundNoise 10/17/2018 11:17 | #222655 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

For me, it's a shame that these two pieces (Different Trains and Electric Counterpoint) were released together and for the purposes of album rating must be reviewed as one.

Different Trains is, for me, a masterpiece in threading together the melody from voice technique with field recordings of trains, and an emphasis on the repetitive minimalist rhythm that made Music For 18 Musicians so beautiful. In terms of short releases (anything under 30 minutes) I would give Different Trains as a standalone piece a 9/10, and up there with Pink Moon and Slow Riot... as one of the best of all time.

Electric Counterpoint, on the other hand is by no means a bad piece of music, but pales in comparison. There is no abrupt changes in mood, no narrative that is offered by its predecessor. By the time 'After The War' eases us into its melancholic fade out, the cathartic release brings us a bittersweet joy that's earnt throughout the run-time; the last thing that is needed is for us to dive in to the cold ambient lull of unaccompanied electric guitar.

However, c'est la vie and so I've settled for an 8/10 that reflects the two combined. (Edited)

Different trains: this composition consists of 3 string quartets overdubbing themselves (played by the Kronos Quartet on this album). The musical themes come from tapes of spoken words of different people talking about trains during the WW2 years. The female voices are duplicated by the viola and the male voices by the cello. From them the tematic motive of each part is derived.
Reich had his parents divorced, one living on the east coast and the other on the west coast, so he traveled a lot in trains through the country at that time where there was WW2 going on in Europe. He recalled "If I where at the time in Germany I would have travel on VERY different trains".
On the first and third movements the tapes of trains and people are from USA.
On the second movement the trains are from Europe and the voices are from Holocaust survivors.

Electric Counterpoint: played by Pat Metheny this piece consists of 7 guitars and 2 basses overdubbed.


But just listen.
This album is a musical masterpiece. (Edited)

A challenging concept this record consists of two compositions by Steve Reich performed by two different groups of artists. The first piece Electric Counterpoint is played by Pat Metheny and he uses extensive overdubbing to achieve the desired effect. The second piece Different Trains is performed by the Kronos Quartet. It's essentially a mediation on the Holocaust. A excellent album for music lovers that are wanting to hear something out of the ordinary.

From NowhereMan 12/20/2018 00:04 | #227466 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

My god, this is such an anxious listen. Wow. (Edited)

From SquishypuffDave TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/20/2015 08:00 | #154817 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Well... I'm certainly glad I got around to listening to this. Didn't realize Reich had dabbled in electronic/tape music. Adds this really cool dreamlike quality to his formula.