There’s a tension to LINDNER-RAGE’s Solstice Mountain Portal that’s never fully released, which creates a sort of liminal space where you may find yourself bumping into and then floating away from unexpected things. Recorded on the Solstice— its own in-between space of the shortest day/longest night—William Rage and A.J. Lindner create heavy, atmospheric drone that speaks to sensations lurking just below a threshold of consciousness. “Solstice Mountain Portal” (20:23) is a staticky anthem to the end of a day, with horn-like bellows over a crowd that roars for something or someone. “Dancing Flames Upon Palms of Hands” (41:00) is a repetitive, metallic invocation that closes with the crackling of a bonfire. Repetition is deceptive for deeper listening reveals shifts and mutations in tones, texture, and timbre. It’s this kind of listening that asks that you to attune yourself to what’s happening in the moment, to stay in those spaces.

willrage.org