AMG Review of Selections from the Symphonies (Works for Electric Guitar)

François Couture
All Music Guide

This compilation album offers excerpts from Glenn Branca's second, third, fifth, sixth, eighth, and tenth symphonies. The tracks have been selected among Branca's loudest and noisiest works, representing his best writing for walls of electric guitars. The hardcore fan will not find anything new (all the material is already available), but the newcomer is offered a chance to enter Branca's world and then work his way through the complete symphonies. Heavy fabrics of distorted sound unfold through anguishing moods ranging from the almost relaxed atmosphere of "Symphony #2 2nd Movement" to a terrible degree of oppression and suffocation in "Symphony #3 2nd movement" and the apocalyptic "Symphony #10 2nd movement." Drums are heavy, almost tribal and sometimes reminiscent of Magma. For someone who would like to enter the post-apocalyptic world of an avant-rock composer who's been a major influence on bands like Sonic Youth, this disc is the perfect compendium.