Interdisciplinary artist D. Petri, of Denver, Colorado, releases recordings as Directives, operates the Aubjects label, and writes at PetriBlog. He has been performing and releasing music since the late 1990s under various names and has collaborated in groups including Dog Hallucinations, Amalgamated and Gushing Clouds. With its much more accessibly rhythmic construction, the new Directives album 'Glimmer' runs a very different program than the occult abstractions of 2021's 'Protenomaly' or 2017's 'Usphutorontus Deius Nissesubla.' both released as intimately handmade cassettes by Aubjects.

I have reviewed Amalgamated before (also on the Aubjects label) but this is my first time out with Directives. 'Glimmer' is eight tracks in 67 minutes ranging from 5:32 to 12:40 in length. Directives' modus operandi includes a core of source material of lo-fi cassette-recorded guitar improvisations, cassettes and reels from personal archives and iPhone recordings. These intimate audio elements were manipulated, sampled and placed within compositions to add structure, texture and depth. Instruments including zither and miscellaneous percussion were live-tracked in a few places and a few interjections of software instruments were made, but the album was built mainly from original home-recorded audio sources exclusively inside software.

Now the above description (his, not mine) may seem to be an open door for an "anything goes, amateur hour experimental electronica trip," but I assure you it is not. These tracks are very well thought out, and some of the most accessible experimental electronica/IDM I've heard in a long while. That's not to say that it borders on commercial or pop; that would be a bridge too far. However, there is an instant likelability factor that draws you in from the start. "IS?" begins with rolling xylophones, a simple tribal rhythm and splashes of echoed synth pad samples. It builds with more elements, and develops a very cool zither melody, but being as long as it is (12:17), ultimately changes direction into completely different hallucinatory terrain. While the rhythm pauses, then returns, this track tends to chug along pleasantly while other sonic elements add oodles of atmosphere.

"Internal Locus of Control" makes good use of those aforementioned lo-fi guitar improvisations in a very nice fit with the rhythm and flow of the piece. I loved the incessant rhythm of "Plasma Array" and the interjected explosive hits. At times it sounded a bit "marching band," but maybe from another planet. "Present Personal Positive" should be held up as an example of what good IDM is all about. This is one that should be on any modern IDM playlist and the sliced 'n' diced vocal samples just added to the fun. In a completely different loping rhythm, "Hypervigilance" takes you to some unusual places but still remains true to form. After a buzzy beginning, "Identify Fractals" reminds you that even though melodies may be abstract, they can still be engaging. "Wounded Healers," the longest track on 'Glimmer' has a lot of sonic variety in the first half, but mellows into an ambient melange in the latter half. Nothing wrong with that though. "Transmute," the final track on the album, was kind of unpleasant in the first couple of minutes due to a mix of grating samples, but once they abated, it was better. My least favorite track on the album, but also, the briefest.

The physical pro-pressed CDr is limited to 200 numbered copies in a handmade wallet-style slipcase with artwork. I think it will only take a few minutes of listening to this release to tell if it's for you or not, but I'm giving it a couple of thumbs up, because that's all I have.