''Ironic Universe'' is a 2006

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

of prepared guitar music by Janet Feder and

Fred Frith Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock ...

. It comprises a studio CD of solo tracks by Feder and duo improvisations by Feder and Frith, and a live DVD of solo performances by Frith and Feder filmed in Colorado. It was released by

Dave Kerman David Kerman (born August 24, 1959), better known as Dave Kerman, is an American experimental rock drummer and composer, best known as the founder and member of the Los Angeles avant-rock group 5uu's. He is also a member of the Belgian progressi ...

's Ad Hoc Records on January 1, 2006.

Reception

In a review at AllMusic, Rick Anderson described ''Ironic Universe'' as " autiful". He was impressed with Feder's solo pieces, adding that her " nraditional playing methods" produce sounds that are "startling but always strangely beautiful". Anderson was more impressed with her duos with Frith, which he said worked well because of the guitarists' "surprising level of musical empathy". Glenn Astarita wrote in a review of the album in '' All About Jazz'' that the duo's "congenial set" of "avant frameworks" is "truly fascinating". He said parts of their performance reminded him of John Fahey's "complex chord phrasings". Astarita added that Frith's solo set on the DVD "adds credence to his stature as one of the great improvisers of our time". In another review in ''All About Jazz'', Nic Jones said Feder and Frith's six duets are the album's highlights, and that while "there's ... plenty here for both the ears and the eyes", he found the predominance of solo performances "a little frustrating", adding that he hoped that next time the pair could "properly get together". Writing in ''Exposé'', K. Leimer said on ''Ironic Universe'' the "experimental inflections" of the prepared guitar balance almost perfectly with the "radiant graces of traditional and non-traditional scales and tunings". He said the blending of these two contrasts will "convert any skeptic" of the relevance of treated instruments. Leimer described the album as "beautiful without simply being pretty", and added that the contrast between Feder and Frith's solo and duo performances "provides an excellent structural metaphor for the way in which the music itself is built".

Track listing

Sources: Liner notes, Discogs, Fred Frith discography.

Personnel

* Janet Feder – prepared guitars (tracks 1–12, 14–16) *

– prepared guitars (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 12, 13) Sources: Liner notes, Discogs, Fred Frith discography, Bandcamp.

Sound and artwork

*Tracks 1–12 recorded, mixed and mastered by Colin Bricker in Denver, Colorado *Track 13 filmed by David Quint in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

on February 20, 2004 *Tracks 14–16 filmed by David Quint in Denver, Colorado on May 11, 2006 *Photography by Eric Paddock Sources: Liner notes, Discogs, Fred Frith discography, Bandcamp.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ironic Universe 2006 live albums 2006 collaborative albums Experimental music albums Free improvisation albums Fred Frith albums Fred Frith live albums