Kesto (234.48:4)

Last updated
Kesto (234.48:4)
Pansonickesto.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 18, 2004
RecordedBerlin, 2003
Genre Experimental, noise, glitch, drone, IDM, minimal techno
Length234:48 (all four discs)
Label Blast First, Mute
Producer Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen
Pan Sonic chronology
Aaltopiiri
(2001)
Kesto (234.48:4)
(2004)
Katodivaihe
(2007)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 74 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Pitchfork (8.2/10) [3]
PopMatters (mixed) [4]
Q (favorable) [5]
SputnikMusicStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [6]
Stylus Magazine (A) [7]
The Wire (favorable) [8]

Kesto (234.48:4), released jointly by Blast First and Mute Records, is the fifth album released by Pan Sonic. The Finnish title roughly translates to "strength" or "duration", referencing both the quadruple-disc album and the general abrasiveness of their music. The subtitle "(234.48:4)" is the length of the entire album.

Contents

Background and structure

After the 2001 release of Aaltopiiri, Pan Sonic embarked on an unusual world tour based on two adverts in The Wire magazine. Responders - either promoters or fans or anyone who is curious - had to convince them that their location was exotic and interesting to perform in and the only stipulation was that they had to provide accommodation and a percentage of the profits (if they were made for that night). So the group toured in many different locations all around the world for eight weeks. It would have continued for another four but Mika Vainio fell ill and cancelled the other dates in order to recover. (In the future, the group would only tour for only a few weeks at a time rather than as a long excursion).

During Mika's recovery in their new home and studio in Berlin, the two were contemplating their next album. They drew inspiration from Mika's favorite artist Francis Bacon and in particular, his inclination to create thematic triptyches. So they created three albums with three distinct atmospheres. Later on, they would be inspired to do a fourth disc. The album was recorded in Berlin in 2003.

Each of the discs reflects elements of their style of music, with the dynamics and tempi generally decreasing throughout. The first CD consists largely of shorter compositions, reminiscent of the synthesis of pop structures and electronic noise found in industrial precursors like Suicide, while the second consists of less intense, electro influenced songs, using the same processed sine tones with more restraint and rhythmic consistency. The third and fourth CDs are more amorphous, the former incorporating Musique concrète elements and the latter is a single hour-long track that recalls early electronic composer Eduard Artemyev.

Each of the discs are in slipcases with photographs by Anne Hämäläinen gracing the covers. Several songs were dedicated to other musicians: "Rähinä II / Mayhem II" to Bruce Gilbert of the band Wire; "Keskeisvoima / Centralforce" to Keiji Haino; "Vähentajä / Diminisher" to the band Suicide; "Sykkivä / Throbbing" to the band Throbbing Gristle; "Linjat / Lines" to Alvin Lucier; and "Säteily / Radiation" to Charlemagne Palestine.

Track listing

Nearly all of the titles have both the original Finnish and a rough English translation provided by the group itself. The following track listing is what exactly appears on the album.

Disc one
No.TitleLength
1."Rähinä I / Mayhem I"2:47
2."Mutaaattori / Mutator"7:05
3."Onkalo / Cavity"1:58
4."Pakoisvoima / Fugalforce"3:59
5."Louhi"1:47
6."Rähinä II / Mayhem II"2:59
7."Riimu / Halter"1:59
8."Keskeisvoima / Centralforce"8:49
9."Vähentajä / Diminisher"4:02
10."Rähinä III / Mayhem III"3:56
11."Lautturi / Rafter"5:51
12."Painovoima / Gravity"5:16
Disc two
No.TitleLength
1."Etäisyys / Distance"5:43
2."Konnat / Toads"3:32
3."Virtamuuntaja / Current-Transformer"3:49
4."Tasmania"3:10
5."Johto 5. / Cable 5."4:26
6."Valomuuntaja / Light-Transformer"3:33
7."Routa-Olio / Groundfrost-Being""2:16
8."Sykkivä / Throbbing"4:41
9."Altistus / Exposure"1:14
10."Telemiitit / Telemites"7:10
11."Prospekt Vernadskogo"2:23
12."Arktinen / Arctic"7:40
Disc three
No.TitleLength
1."Viemärimaailma / Sewageworld"10:46
2."Käytävä / Corridor"10:28
3."Ilmenemismuoto / Appearanceform"7:36
4."Pakkasen Holvit / Arches of Frost"4:16
5."Selittämätön / Inexplicable"9:07
6."Ilma / Air"9:38
7."Koljan Uni / Sleep of Haddock"3:04
8."Linjat / Lines"18:09
Disc four
No.TitleLength
1."Säteily / Radiation"61:16

Related Research Articles

<i>Metal Machine Music</i> 1975 studio album by Lou Reed

Metal Machine Music is the fifth studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed. It was recorded on a three-speed Uher machine and was mastered/engineered by Bob Ludwig. It was released as a double album in July 1975 by RCA Records, but taken off the market three weeks later. A radical departure from the rest of his catalog, the Metal Machine Music album features no songs or recognizably structured compositions, eschewing melody and rhythm for modulated feedback and noise music guitar effects, mixed at varying speeds by Reed. Also in 1975, RCA released a Quadrophonic version of the Metal Machine Music recording that was produced by playing it back both forward and backward, and by flipping the tape over.

<i>Forever Delayed</i> Manic Street Preachers album

Forever Delayed is a greatest hits album and DVD by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released in 2002 by Epic Records. The album included three singles which had never appeared on any of the band's earlier albums, as well as two new songs, the single "There by the Grace of God" and "Door to the River".

<i>Sonic Nurse</i> 2004 studio album by Sonic Youth

Sonic Nurse is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band Sonic Youth, released on June 8, 2004, by Geffen Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pan Sonic</span> Finnish band

Pan Sonic was a Finnish electronic music group founded in Turku in 1993. The group consisted of Mika Vainio, Ilpo Väisänen, and Sami Salo. Salo left in 1996 leaving Pan Sonic a duo. The group was originally named Panasonic until 1998. In December 2009, it was announced that Pan Sonic would disband after their concerts that month. Their final album, Gravitoni, was released by Blast First Petite in May 2010. Oksastus, a live album recorded in 2009, was released in 2014.

<i>Murray Street</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Sonic Youth

Murray Street is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Sonic Youth, released on June 25, 2002, by DGC Records. Murray Street is the first album by the band to feature Jim O'Rourke as an official fifth member to bolster the group's sound.

<i>Rounds</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Four Tet

Rounds is the third solo album by British electronic musician Kieran Hebden, released under his alias Four Tet on 5 May 2003 by Domino Recording Company. Wanting to make a more personal record, Hebden recorded and produced the album in his North London flat over ten months using a desktop computer and a home hi-fi system. Its ten tracks feature elements of hip hop, jazz and folk; apart from a guitar part recorded for "Slow Jam", the music is composed from between 200 and 300 samples, many processed beyond recognition.

<i>20 Jazz Funk Greats</i> 1979 album by Throbbing Gristle

20 Jazz Funk Greats is the third studio album by British industrial music group Throbbing Gristle, released in December 1979 by the band's Industrial Records label. Known for its tongue-in-cheek title and artwork, it has been hailed as the band's best work, with Fact naming it the best album of the 1970s and Pitchfork naming it the best industrial album of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Radio Dept.</span> Swedish dream pop band

The Radio Dept. is a Swedish dream pop band from Lund, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mika Vainio</span> Finnish electronic musician

Mika Tapio Vainio was a Finnish electronic musician. He was best known as a member of Pan Sonic. In addition to his real name, he recorded under the aliases Ø, Kentolevi, Philus, and Tekonivel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilpo Väisänen</span> Finnish electronic musician

Ilpo Väisänen is a Finnish electronic musician. He is best known as a member of Pan Sonic. In addition to his real name, he has recorded under the aliases I-LP-O In Dub, I-LP-ON, Liima and Piiri. Together with Dirk Dresselhaus he founded the project Angel, later renamed Die Angel.

<i>Kuvaputki</i> 2008 American film

Kuvaputki is a multi-angle DVD by Embryoroom produced and directed by Edward Quist and co-produced by Derek Gruen aka Del Marquis, with music by Pan Sonic, the Finnish experimental electronic music duo consisting of Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen.

<i>Journal for Plague Lovers</i> 2009 studio album by Manic Street Preachers

Journal for Plague Lovers is the ninth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 18 May 2009 by record label Columbia. Recorded between October 2008 and February 2009 and produced by Steve Albini and Dave Eringa, it features exclusively posthumously published lyrics by Richey Edwards, who disappeared on 1 February 1995 and was presumed deceased in 2008. It is the only Manic Street Preachers album in which the lyrics for every song were written solely by Edwards.

<i>The Boy Who Knew Too Much</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Mika

The Boy Who Knew Too Much is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Mika. It was released on 21 September 2009, under Casablanca/Universal Republic in the United States and Island in the United Kingdom.

<i>Sonic Boom</i> (Kiss album) 2009 studio album by Kiss

Sonic Boom is the nineteenth studio album, and the first in 11 years, by the rock band Kiss, released on October 6, 2009. The album was recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA and produced by Paul Stanley and co-produced by Greg Collins. This is the first album to feature new lead guitarist Tommy Thayer. It also features the return of drummer Eric Singer following his return to the band in 2004. Thayer and Singer also have lead vocal performances on the album. Stanley stated, "the purpose of this album isn't to let people know that we're still around – it's to let people know we can still knock out anybody who's out there!".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bleached</span> American pop band

Bleached is an American pop band consisting of sisters Jennifer and Jessica Clavin, formerly of Mika Miko. The band plays a style of rock, pop, rock and roll, and indie rock. Bleached was established in Los Angeles in 2011. The group has released three studio albums, Ride Your Heart (2013), Welcome the Worms (2016) and Don't You Think You've Had Enough? (2019), all with Dead Oceans, and have charted on the Billboard charts.

<i>National Treasures – The Complete Singles</i> 2011 compilation album by Manic Street Preachers

National Treasures – The Complete Singles is a compilation album by the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 31 October 2011. It is the band's third compilation album, after Forever Delayed: Manic Street Preachers, The Greatest Hits (2002), and the B-sides/rarities collection Lipstick Traces (2003). The compilation features one new recording, a cover of The The's "This Is the Day", which was issued as a single on 18 September 2011. The compilation reached number 10 on the UK Album Chart in November 2011.

<i>American Supreme</i> 2002 studio album by Suicide

American Supreme is the fifth and final studio album by the American band Suicide. It was released in 2002 on Mute Records and was the group's first self-produced album. The album received generally favorable reception with positive reviews praising its experimental and difficult listening experience while negative reviews found the album sounding dated even in comparison to the group's first two albums released decades prior.

<i>UZU</i> 2013 studio album by Yamantaka // Sonic Titan

UZU is the second studio album by Canadian experimental band Yamantaka // Sonic Titan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunn O))) discography</span> Band discography

The discography of Sunn O))), an American drone metal band, consists of nine studio albums, three collaborative albums, six EPs, four demos, one remix album, eight official live albums, one box set compilation, two stand-alone singles and three compilation contributions.

haloblack are an American industrial rock group formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The original incarnation consisted solely of Bryan Barton until Bill Morrisette and Damien Ray joined. Their style of industrial rock combined elements of electro, glitch, trip hop and metal music. They have been on tour with other industrial outfits including 16volt, Bile, Chemlab and Cop Shoot Cop and in addition supported Marilyn Manson. The band released three albums: Tension Filter and funkyhell for Fifth Colvmn Records and Throb for Armalyte Industries/The Sick City.

References

  1. "Kesto (234.48:4) Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. 2004-05-18. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  2. Kesto at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  3. "Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Pan Sonic: Kesto (234:48:4)". Pitchforkmedia.com. 2004-05-18. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  4. O'Neil, Tim. "Pan Sonic: Kesto < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  5. "Review at Q magazine". Q (August 2004): 116.
  6. "Pansonic - Kesto (234:48:4) (album review)". Sputnikmusic. 2010-08-17. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  7. "Pan Sonic - Kesto - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  8. "Review at The Wire magazine". The Wire (244): 59.