Alan Licht - Sink The Aging Process (1995)

As guitarist with '90s indie rock group Run On, Alan Licht was known as a crafty pop sideman. As a member of Rudolph Grey's Blue Humans, he summoned feedback and noise from his guitar in the free improvised music context of post-punk New York. On this solo record, his love for minimalist music comes to the fore, presenting two side-long tracks of droning feedback that recall Terry Riley in their mantric intensity. "Betty Page" is a swirling and hypnotic noise-drone that collapses under its own weight; the guitars at times bring to mind Eno and Robert Fripp on No Pussyfooting. While the flip side, "Polarity," is credited to Mike Watt, it is apparent that Licht is making a joke on the concept of it being a cover of the Minutemen, as the prevailing drone hypnotizes for some 20 minutes. Leading a new wave of minimalism coming from the post-rock quarter, Licht's explorations go a step further on Rabbi Sky, his subsequent solo album.