Glenn Branca: Indeterminate Activity of Resultant Masses (Atavistic)

This is an odd but fascinating compilation of three very disparate items. The title piece, for ten electric guitars and drums, is previously unreleased; a 31-minute Glenn Branca work from 1981 finally appearing is enough reason in itself to acquire this disc (never mind that the guitarists include Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo). The guitars are less massed than interwoven; there is sometimes more space here than in Branca’s symphonies, and the individual textures glint and shine wonderfully. The inexorable momentum typical of Branca’s work is here too, exhilarating as always.

Then comes the oddity. In 1982, John Cage heard Indeterminate Activity of Resultant Masses at a concert and disparaged it. The booklet prints an exchange between Branca and a Cage defender; track two reissues a 1982 interview with Cage discussing what he saw as the philosophical implications of Branca’s music based on his mistaken impressions. At 18 minutes and 45 seconds, it’s not something to listen to repeatedly, but it is historically interesting.

Finally, track three presents “Harmonic Series Chords,” a seven-minute orchestral work (played by the New York Chamber Sinfonia, conducted by Glen Cortese) from 1989, minor but enjoyable, offering a rarely heard side of Branca. On balance, any Branca fan should be glad to have this new CD.