♫♪  Tashi Dorji and John Dieterich - Midden

Midden (Moone Records / Gilgongo Records) is a match made in midden … is that right, “in midden”? Or “on midden”? Maybe “on midden,” as in a heap of refuse or bones or mollusk shells, and in any case, the play on “match made in heaven” is losing its tenuous grasp. We don’t say “match made on heaven.” (Or do we?)

But the match made in/on midden stands: prolific guitar experimenter Tashi Dorji and Deerhoof guitar experimenter John Dieterich plug in and let it fly, the chunks and strums expulsing solid matter from their instruments for nearly forty minutes until they, too, are standing on a Midden of their own making. And sure, you may wonder how the sound of two artists axe-fighting out in the open in the middle of the afternoon like a couple dosed LARPers would produce enough detritus to compose an ever-growing pile that they’re standing upon, and you would be right to wonder. Because I don’t know the physics of that at all. You’ll just have to go with it.

And to be clear, “detritus” is a bad, incorrect word here, but I can’t seem to make out what we’re dealing with in the physical realm. I can hear what these two fellers are up to, though, and their interplay is a joy to behold. From scribbled Crayola EQ readings to tandem heat lamps of controlled feedback, Dorji and Dieterich duke it out to become king of the hill, the midden masters, guitarists-in-residence of the ever-growing pile. Mayors of Strum City and monarchs of Pluck Island.

They work together and against, pushing and pulling, straining for the pinnacle of innovation. Do they get there? Well, the Midden abides, does it not? I’d say the goal is the trip, not vice versa. Match made in the ascent.

Chocolate Grinder

CHOCOLATE GRINDER is our audio/visual section, with an emphasis on the lesser heard and lesser known. We aim to dig deep, but we’ll post any song or video we find interesting, big or small.

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