CD Review // Jo Bled "Cleanses the Way Stars Open" (Enforced Existence)

https://enforcedexistence.bandcamp.com/album/cleanses-the-way-stars-open

What I know about Jo Bled involves percussion so I'm always interested in hearing how sounds can come through which don't sound quite like that and then I'm left to wonder just what is going on.   Yes, Jo Bled is one of my favorite artists because the magic remains within the music and as someone who feels like they're know all of the magician's secrets, this CD comes as a breath of fresh air.

The percussion on here starts like glass with little synth beeps coming in like ringtones.  The synth can go back and forth like a wave, and I'm not entirely sure this is synth it's just what it sounds like to me.   The second track begins more like a jackhammer and just continues with these heavy construction vibes.  

"He Had Nails" begins with this sort of scraping type of sound, but it also sounds like it's going down the drain; swirling.   "Magicks Unreal" has a steady march through the static, a little bit of spoon of scraping and then we're just into a slow, droning wave ride.  This becomes rather hypnotic as "Power Over the Thing" has the sound of a mechanical toy but also reminds me of the Clock and Watch Museum.   A little bit of rattling is in here too.

When I think about this from the perspective of a different musician, it seems very much like someone would just grab a keyboard and use the effects on it to create some of these sounds.  But, again, I relate Jo Bled with percussion and so I'm always trying to think of ways these sounds could be made using only percussion.  The mystery and quality just make this a CD worth experiencing.