COIN COIN Chapter Three: river run thee is infinite and indispensable in its cultural worth and true-ly timeless and comprehensive in its scope. A masterwork of human history, still in progress.
river run thee, the third installment, is a seamless solo improvisation for a panoply of electronics, a multitude of multi-tracked voices, and a small coterie of saxophones.
River Run Thee ups the ante in Roberts' project. It is initially elliptical, but its self-determination, unflinching courage, and intense focus and openness create an indefinable but living, breathing art.
river run thee is the most challenging entry in her massive undertaking, but a truth like this shouldn’t be easy.
Coin Coin Chapter Three successfully operates on so many intellectual and conceptual levels, but lacks visceral impact; inducing the listener into a “call for action,” but only from the distant, second-hand viewpoint of scattered diaspora.
On its own, 'Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee' doesn't stand very tall, but it's an admirable jump to an entirely new sound for the Coin Coin series as a whole and works when listening to them in succession. If there's one thing you can count on Matana Roberts for, it's that she'll never let you guess her next move.
Matana continues her narrative in the Coin Coin series. After the excelent first part, she opted for structuring the work as a unique suite divided in the tracklisting as many small pieces, and the same construction appears on River Run Thee: a big musical piece divided into twelve separate items. This time around, though, Matana and her band drive the music towards a drone path, with many noise elements eventually popping in the mix and the often use of spoken-word. Even though there are some ... read more
On its own, 'Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee' doesn't stand very tall, but it's an admirable jump to an entirely new sound for the Coin Coin series as a whole and works when listening to them in succession. If there's one thing you can count on Matana Roberts for, it's that she'll never let you guess her next move.
‘River Run Thee' is the weakest chapter in the Coin Coin series because of its very unclear direction and lack of vividness.
1 | All Is Written 10:06 | 80 |
2 | The Good Book Says 2:39 | 70 |
3 | Clothed to the Land, Worn by the Sea 3:24 | 70 |
4 | Dreamer of Dreams 4:33 | 80 |
5 | Always Say Your Name 1:53 | 60 |
6 | Nema, Nema, Nema 4:20 | 70 |
7 | A Single Man o' War 2:05 | 80 |
8 | As Years Roll By 4:05 | 70 |
9 | This Land Is Yours 3:44 | 70 |
10 | Come Away 5:26 | 70 |
11 | With Me Seek 0:57 | |
12 | J.P. 2:23 | 60 |
#2 | / | The Wire |
#5 | / | The Quietus |
#6 | / | The Vinyl Factory |
#25 | / | Tiny Mix Tapes |