For the Time Being presents two very different extended pieces featuring John Hudak. First up is a 20-minute performance with Hudak and Cut label owner Jason Kahn on laptops. Recorded live at Michael J. Schumacher's Diapason Gallery in March of 2003, the piece hovers delicately in midair, like an installation -- there to be enjoyed and scrutinized for a while, then left on its own, then scrutinized again. Kahn's soft tones and Hudak's quiet manipulations make a fine match, but the piece is not striking or distinctive. Both artists have more personal material out (in Kahn's case, his solo album Miramar released on Sirr a few weeks before this CD came out). If this first piece is slightly bland, the second, 30-minute track is definitely worth your time and money. Recorded live at the Roulette Festival of Mixology in June of 2003, it features Hudak and Bruce Tovsky on guitars and processing. And the guitar is at the center of the performance, fully recognizable. There is a soundscaping guitar, its wails setting a dark mood and offering a source of processed feedback and moans. The second guitar starts with single plucked notes and builds up to a delicate music box-like theme that, through processing, will get increasingly frantic, passing through a playful phase before turning into digital madness. The result is very dynamic (the piece is in constant progression), attention-grabbing, and downright beautiful in its own way, ranking among Hudak's best recorded performances, even though it is significantly more eventful than his usual output. ~ François Couture, Rovi