Insect Factory

Washington DC’s Jeff Barsky offers up his first full-length vinyl release, with an incredibly full and rich sounding platter that delivers on every level. Barsky has been a key figure in the DC experimental / DIY scene for the last few years, and is also a member of kraut-influenced DC combo the Plums.  
In his solo guise as Insect Factory, Barsky traverses the worlds of guitar improvisation and subtle sound manipulation. He’s put out a number of CD-Rs, a self-released CD, and a split 7" with New Zealand drone master RST. Yet despite the impressive back catalog, this LP on Brooklyn’s Fabrica is Barsky’s first major bid for exposure. And if the world were a more just place, every home would have a copy proudly displayed.  
What separates Insect Factory from other projects in the ambient and quieter realms of guitar improvisation are the remarkable displays of patience and impeccable timing. Each of the four pieces on this record (two epic tracks, and two shorter bookends) is compelling on its own, yet the sequencing and combined impact is devastatingly beautiful. Barsky balances light and dark, tension and resolution in his pieces, but never in obvious ways. Instead, his music surrounds and envelops in a gauzy, cloudy warmth while still retaining an interest in shaking things up. The record’s title is apt, too—Barsky’s music alludes to static transmissions, garbled communication via invisible airwaves, alien landscapes, and dying technologies, while still retaining an interest in melody and traditional beauty. The juxtaposition of these ideas and approaches lends the record a complexity that goes deep beyond its shiny surfaces.