Jon Porras: Black Mesa (Thrill Jockey, 4/17/12)
“Into Midnight”
[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/01-Into-Midnight.mp3|titles=Jon Porras: “Into Midnight”]Guitarist Jon Porras, otherwise known as one half of drone duo Barn Owl, has returned for his sophomore solo effort via Black Mesa, a concept album of sorts about an outlaw’s desert journey as he comes to discover another universe.
As the album opener, “Into Midnight” also serves as a launching pad for the outlaw’s journey into the unknown. Tinged with Western motifs, distorted and screeching guitar riffs create a sense of anxiety. As the album moves forward in a linear fashion, the story arc seems to reach its climax with the atmospheric guitars in “Embers at Dusk,” closing with a sense of discovery before entering “Into the Black Mesa.”
The album ends, however, on an ambiguous note. It leaves us with a feeling of almost doom-like uncertainty, as if the outlaw’s destination was merely an oasis, never becoming fully realized and fading from sight. Black Mesa begs its listeners to retrace his steps in hopes of discovering more.