a review of 'a site of privilege/ a site of pain'

the site 'yea i know it sucks' reviews my album 'a site of privilege/ a site of pain' here and i rather like the review:

Elizabeth Veldon is (like it or not) a character that made quite a name for herself in the experimental and noise underground. I’m not sure why, but it seems as if she attracts controversy which always end up with two sides of a cake. One part with chocolate and whipped cream that the lovers seem to love  and then the bottom part with soft dough that for some reason isn’t always loved or perhaps misunderstood and even hated.

But either-way be it positive or negative it’s for sure that mentioning the name of Elizabeth Veldon is able to trigger hot headed conversations and probably also mixed emotions. I think that marketing wise she did a very good job being overly controversial, as thanks to haters bashing and lovers defending; her name that pops up through online forums and (anti)social media has probably registered in many of us who occasionally go out for a walk in the fascinating world of the underground.

The only thing is, what’s next? I mean we all have heard of Mickey Mouse, but what’s the point of knowing if not ever seeing an old cartoon or a comic with that mouse starring in it? Not suggesting that Elizabeth Veldon is comparable to Mickey but it seems to me that her character might walk upfront her audio output perhaps, (it’s from my perspective the first thing you see or read), but I’m sure she is about the music, carrying her art behind her almost iconic face and name.

Even the most resistant, curious underground recreationist will Sooner or later listen to her music, to the sounds she puts out, read the controversial title tracks, the causes or friends she dedicates her works too and that’s probably the thing that counts and keeps it all going and flowing throughout the years. People are easily pumped up, with opinions and steam out of their noses but it takes a bit more time for people to check things out for themselves, hear the music or the noise and then form some kind of idea if this is something they enjoy & are into or that it isn’t really their cup of tea and rather move along.

I know this is a bit of a long introduction, but just feel that it’s necessary at this point in time. For what I know is that Elizabeth Veldon isn’t always very compatible with  my personal views and opinions, but hey I used to enjoy listening to the music of Charles Manson but do not go out and stab pregnant people too. So with this in mind I wanted to take some time and actually listen, experience and hear the music behind all the intended or non-intended controversy of this obviously unique individual. You still want to read along? Than better prepare yourself for salted honesty and crazed opinion…

I moved down to bandcamp and came across an album that looked very interesting. It was called ‘A map of privilege / a map of pain’ and came with the following description by the artist:

this album grew out of the controversy over trans*women having or not having male privilege when still presenting as male.

i believe this to be true and for me a large part of becoming who i now am was accepting this and seeking to acknowledge both how this had benefited me and the scars this had left.

You see, that this is an interesting piece of information here. It might be an obstacle for anyone not being in the same situation in life, to fully comprehend what this all means. It’s a controversial topic as for non trans*gendered people it is difficult to understand the thoughts, the mindset, sexuality and all other complexity that a trans*woman or trans*male has to go through. It’s something to think about as well because it is surprising how little information and support is available above ground to make these important kind of subjects less taboo and discussable. Gays and the problems they face are overly well presented in the western media, but trans*people seems to be something that for most people is something that is kept a bit like a mystery, something that isn’t discussed much.

But how do these two tracks aka maps sound like? And is it possible to let us listeners feel a bit closer to the concept and the artist thoughts and feelings about this actual music? By listening to the full ten minutes of the ‘privilege’ track I must say to feel a bit hypnotized by it all. It’s a very minimal work and also very fragile and warm in its sound. It could be a ten minute long loop or showing a slight slow difference, but these must be so little that it will cost all your intellectual focus to spot them. Something that isn’t probably what the purpose of this work is about.
To me, music wise it’s like an aesthetic, a soft woolen pillow in the face while being hypnotized on a steady flow of non-panicky ambient.

And then expecting a yin and yang moment at the ‘map of pain’ another controversial point enters in. This track is almost identical to the ‘map of privilege’ which made me think that perhaps the concept of ‘privilege’ and ‘pain’ are like two sides of the same coin. To be honest, I personally do not seem to understand or identify with it, but perhaps that is the whole point. Someone else probably recognize something in this conceptual music and would say ‘damn, Elizabeth you hit the nail on the head again!’

It’s probably a bit like going to a museum of modern art with someone you hardly know. You see this gigantic framed painting with the complete canvas covered in the blue color. Just at the moment that I feel like saying my thoughts of ‘What the hell is this?’ your museum buddy opens the mouth complimenting it and tells how beautiful it is. It’s probably one of those things with this release of Elizabeth Veldon, it’s either you ‘get it’ and love it or you just shrug your shoulders and go elsewhere.
So why not visit this release with your own ears and see if it is something you dig? It’s kind of relaxing music really.

i rather like my work being compared to minimalist painting and it's reminiscent of  yves klein and his international klein blue not to mention derek jarman's wonderful film 'blue'