Played at an all-dayer in Newcastle with a bunch of metal bands a while back - some apparently very well-respected eg INSECT WARFARE, SPOONFUL OF VICODIN - but all that stuff with its rigid rules started to bore me so much and Jazzfinger midway through the bill was like calm balm to my ears, a breath of cool air.
Much as some of the people involved are good friends, I can see the distinct artistic limitations of the 'drone music' which Matthew Bower above all others inadvertently helped to inspire in the late 90s. Ashtray Navigations and Vibracathedral Orchestra records are ultimately pretty safe coffee table/Wire reader/easy listening discs. When these type of musicians get it right and hit the spot though, as Jazzfinger did that night, it can sound extremely beautiful and I'll forgive em all their shortcomings and lack of ambition.
