SAMSA - "EER-MUSIC.com aka Eclectic Earwig Reviews Music and More for You!"

Samsa The Laurentian Divide Sounds Good on Paper Mechanically Separated Samsa is the pseudonym under which Nathan Larson records deep experimental e- music. The Laurentian Divide is his debut CD after several contributions to samplers and internet downloads. (The title refers to a platform in central North America.) This disc is a creative bonanza! Nathan combines liqueous textures, deep atmospheres, sci-fi timbres and experimental sounds to create formidable soundscapes. The soundscapes caress deep listeners and float them away to the far reaches of their imaginations. It is a colorful and diverse ride. Nathan runs the gamut from pastoral ambience to dark minimalism. The textures swing from liquid to organic and back. The drones are ominous and sinister. The sci- fi timbres are deeper than deep. This is an essential CD! ~ Jim Brenholts Sounds Good on Paper is a uniquely structured CD from Samsa, the recording alias for Nathan Larson. (He was also Brook Rongstad's partner at Green House Records.) He takes the concept of warping sounds to a new level as he manipulates found sounds, drones, samples and damn near anything he can use. The results are very dark and eerie atmospheres. It is not, however, ambient - - at least not by Erik Satie's definition. This music is not ignorable! It demands attention! Nathan's soundscapes pierce listeners' personal spaces and make themselves known. This is an excellent CD. ~ Jim Brenholts Nathan Larson, a.k.a. Samsa, performs on voice distortion, drones and altered percussion. Mechanically Separated is a set of "b sides," outtakes and alternate versions from Nathan's first two CDs - The Laurentian Divide and Sounds Good on Paper. These pieces are every bit as dark and cold as their counterparts. Nathan's penchant for warping the spit out of his sounds serves him well. These dark atmospheres are eerie and confusing and very cool! ~ Jim Brenholts