What is the meaning of the title of this latest release from Okot P’bitek? Never mind that, what is the meaning of his name, you may even ask? The latter is easily answered; Okot P’bitek is a reference to the Ugandan poet and author, the moniker of Naas musician Daniel Curran. The former…who’s to say? Maybe it’s a reference to his attitude to releasing music. His prolificacy would certainly back this notion up.

Since the ‘Ovular’ EP, reviewed here in July of 2013, the ensuing months of that year saw Curran release two further EPs in ‘Klor’ (whose lengthy Murmuration contains a postscript on this release) and ‘Humlit’, as well as Sweet Jane (In Memoriam L.R.) in October. That track – a reimagining of The Velvet Underground’s Sweet Jane and a dedication to both Sterling Morrison and Lou Reed who died that same month – provides an origin to Curran’s output, “Lou Reed was the greatest single influence on the way I not only played and listened to music but also on how I thought and felt about music.”

The ambient soundscapes of ‘Volitionless’ unfold at an unhurried pace, created with 4-track and guitar, recorded live with minimal overdubs.  A static hiss begins Murmuration (Return), joined by a deep, intermittent foghorn-like drone. Various tones and sounds descend upon this undertow; string-like swathes, snatches of melodic high tones, and metallic clangs that stab at the fabric of the track. The abiding effect is that of expansion and contraction, as the song almost exhales itself to a close.

Paced, airy synth-like tones drop a regal melody on Meridian. A spoken vocal, largely unintelligible, gradually takes on an unexpected urgency when woven round the balustrade of those overarching tones, adding menace to them as their waves of sound overlap and coalesce. They become laden with fuzzed distortion, lethargic and ever-distant as if buckling under the weight of this sonic rusting.

Another paranoid vocal sample lurks behind a series of brooding, measured guitar notes on Absalom (Ending). As the disembodied narrative unfolds, a constant distorted drone gradually becomes louder, overshadowing voice and guitar with melodic undulating layers of serrated noise and clamour not a million miles off Godspeed You! Back Emperor.

Candleslit contains the most defined melody of the EP, picked out on guitar; a sustained motif buoyed by the undercurrent of a warm counter melody that takes over toward the end. Curran’s experimental approaches and the technique in which they are allowed to develop lend these tracks depth and expanse, and an organic flow permeates the synthetic elements which provide the dominating base. As with his previous releases, this is dense, measured and subtly charged – an investment of time will be rewarded.