Earthen Sea is the pseudonym under which Jacob Long operates – and Recollection is his fourth album for the Kranky label.
It began life as a piano trio, inspired by a year-long immersion in the music of ECM – but soon Long’s writing became more individual and complex. The resultant blend of live band and downtempo loops has been given a natural clothing that suggests it was made much more instinctively. As the press release suggests, the music can be heard ‘shuffling and rippling like uncertain memories at strange hours’.
What’s the music like?
Immediately restful. Recollection unfolds at a slow tempo, dreamy and fuzzy as it runs over melodic snippets and beats that are incredibly easy on the ear.
Long has a spacious audio palette, the reminiscences spread over a wide angle lens to give space around the listener. On occasion there are melodic thoughts in intimate close-up, but generally the music moves across the sky with an ambient yet steady tread.
Highlights include Sunlit Leaving, a warm-hearted reverie loosely led by the piano, with a drum rhythm dragging its heels lazily in the sand behind. A Single Pub is enjoyably woozy, its piano loop ambling through the space left for it by the beats and atmospherics.
The sleepy, distracted mood continues throughout in a most appealing way, the musical equivalent of an early afternoon reverie in the hot sun – and all the more appealing for it. This is typified by the closing White Sky, thick in ambience and with dappled light emanating from a keyboard line.
Does it all work?
It does. Long’s instrumental shading is rather beautiful, casting shadows on the melodic material but always with a brighter backdrop.
Is it recommended?
Yes. This is music that will help the listener attain a better state of mindfulness, a relaxing album that lowers the blood pressure and eases the brain. We could certainly do with more of that right now!
For fans of… Blockhead, RJD2, Skalpel, Cinematic Orchestra
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Published post no.2,390 – Wednesday 11 December 2024
Daniel Parsons has been busy in the last five years! Under the moniker Amongst The Pigeons he has now notched up seven albums, three in the last two calendar years.
The number 7…or more specifically, 007…assumed greater importance as he was writing Exit Strategy, with a fascination developing around the world of living a double life, and themes of spies and secrets in particular.
He has hinted that this might be a swansong for this particular pseudonym, but perhaps that means plans are afoot to go even deeper under cover!
What’s the music like?
A constant in the music of Amongst The Pigeons is the melodic activity, which is there in abundance wherever Parsons lends his talents. Exit Strategy is no different, with a bubbling cauldron of inventive beats, propulsive beats and rhythms that – while tending to the Bond theme – also broaden out to address current political and social concerns.
These are often delivered with a dash of wit, as in AI Heart U, which manages to be both humourous and a bit creepy at the same time! Monalisa Smile also straddles that emotional meeting point, while Sugercoated Poison is initially playful but grows into an imposing track of some stature.
Watch The World Burn is an intricate rhythmic workout, with bubbling mid-range sonics, while to complement it Cloudbursts takes a step back, panning out to a much bigger space. Space is also found during A Thousand Possibilities, through electronic music of a more delicate persuasion.
Parsons saves the best until last, Not Without Danger starting with watery loops that flow easily while the rhythms get progressively bigger, working to an epic finish.
Does it all work?
It does. The personal, intimate construction of Amongst The Pigeons music makes it easy to relate to, while there is always a hook to hang your coat on!
Is it recommended?
It is indeed. For anyone who enjoys electronic music with character and meaning, this is an easy album to recommend.
Story, visuals and music come together in the work of Italian Lia Bosch, the first woman to record on the Glacial Movements label in its history. Described as ‘a multi-dimensional work that encourages deep reflection on existential and social themes’, Polar Code unfolds with the following plot:
Polar Code unfolds through a story set in an abandoned alien base in Antarctica, a remote and mysterious location where ancient human experiments once took place.
The protagonist, a researcher sent by a secret government agency, is tasked with investigating unusual activity detected in the region. Upon arrival, he encounters a desolate, eerie landscape filled with darkness and secrets, where every corner hides traces of a vanished alien presence that still feels ominously close. As the researcher explores the facility, he comes across the symbol of infinity, a glowing, pulsating portal that seems to be the key to understanding the connection between all life forms in the universe. This symbol becomes the focal point of the narrative, conveying a profound message about interconnection: every human action, every choice, has repercussions that extend beyond time and space.
The researcher is thus plunged into a deep existential reflection on his own existence and humanity’s role in a vast, intricate cosmos. The symbol of infinity, laden with meaning, is not merely a scientific discovery but an ethical and philosophical call. It embodies a profound truth: no matter how separate or superior humans may believe themselves to be, they are an integral part of a universal, interconnected system. The information contained within the symbol offers humanity a chance for redemption and salvation, but it also demands an acknowledgment of human fragility and the oppressive structures that underpin society.
The protagonist faces a crucial decision: to accept the revelation of the symbol and risk disrupting the global order, or to turn away from the opportunity to change humanity’s fate. This choice presents a profound moral dilemma, in which the potential to reform society—currently rooted in exploitation and conflict—collides with the risk of unleashing further destruction. Bosch delves into the tension between the need for renewal and the dangers inherent in transformation. Polar Code stands out as a work that transcends simple storytelling, weaving together sound, images, and words to provoke reflection on power dynamics, human fragility, and cosmic.
What’s the music like?
Compelling – and not a little eerie.
Polar Code opens with thick ambience, the remoteness of the location described by music that is simultaneously comforting and a little oppressive, the audio equivalent of lying under a thick duvet.
Gradually the sonic perspective widens and Bosch reveals her descriptive powers. Secret Frequencies pulses with activity, while the frequencies reach higher in Resonance. Stepping Beyond caries with it the danger of exploring hidden places and dark corners, the thickness of the sound closing in. Unknown System and Alien Circuit provide a little relief from this but presents mysterious vistas, created through subtle harmonic implications.
As the explorations continue so Bosch’s noise spectrum broadens still further, with long notes of New Parameters ushering in the striking scenes of Unveiling, where single notes in shrill timbres paint vivid pictures. Infinity has a sprawling, semi-industrial outlook, still cold but with various machine workings spotlit. Gradually the sound retreats, with Insight offering a reflection then a sonorous blast of ambient noise.
Does it all work?
Yes, but is all the more effective if the listener has the story close by. Then the full range of Lia Bosch’s painting in sound can be fully appreciated.
Is it recommended?
It is indeed. Polar Code presents a cold outlook and is often bleak in its canvas, but there is real storytelling afoot here, and for Bosch to achieve that in a small number of meaningfully deployed notes is most impressive.
For fans of… Loscil, Autechre, Cabaret Voltaire, Tim Hecker, Biosphere
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Polar Code is released on Friday 5 December – at which point you will be able to listen to it via Bandcamp here:
This is the second instalment in Bibio’s Phantom Brickworks project, an ambient / drone concern begun in 2017. On it, Stephen Wilkinson (who is Bibio) has the aim of exploring “the human echoes still present in various sites around Britain. Wilkinson has visited these locations, observed their gradual decline, and responded with improvised and composed music.”
The sequel brings forward new, intriguing sites, described as ‘vast scars on the natural landscape, some surviving through memories, historic clips and photographs. A few remain submerged from ordinary sights, while some exist purely as legends and stories’.
What’s the music like?
Immediately restful, as Bibio leads us to an appealing calm place. The loop subtly powering Dinorwic moves at a very slow pace but maintains its poise, while the magical Dorothea’s Bed has wordless voices transmitting an icy beauty. A higher register piano twinkles in the fog of Phantom Brickworks IV, while Llyn Peris reflects the dappled light of a winter sky, the sun near the horizon.
Tegid’s Court rocks gently like a Berceuse, leading into the immensely calming, spoken word Brograve. Spider Bridge once again makes evocative use of the piano’s higher register, a distinctive feather in Bibio’s cap.
Does it all work?
It does. Bibio has mastered the art of making more from less, and these pieces are ideally weighted.
Is it recommended?
Phantom Brickworks II is strongly recommended, another feather in the cap of an artist whose versatility continues to be most impressive. Having charmed us with pastoral electronica, Bibio now has real durability as a long-form ambient artist.
For fans of… Harold Budd, Loscil, Luke Abbott, Jon Hopkins
The Floor Is Lava is Michael Mayer’s first album in 12 years, since the collaborative long player Mantasy was released on !K7.
Here he is back on home ground at the label he runs, with an album tapping into his enormous experience as a DJ, conscious of his crowd’s attention span. “It’s a DJ album by a DJ that’s easily bored”, he says.
What’s the music like?
This is a fine piece of work, Mayer always conscious of keeping the dancefloor fully populated but getting a really satisfying ebb and flow as he does so.
The beats are established immediately, The Problem grinding into gear with deep beats and jazz-infused techno. Mayer’s beats are a prime focus on this album and they work to brilliant effect on the rolling contours of Brainwave, then the driving Sycophant, or in team with a superb, booming bassline on Ardor.
So good are the beats, in fact, that they are pretty much all you need – check The Solution for confirmation of this – but with plenty of goodness piled on top of them there is as much for the home listener to tap into as there is the club dancer.
Does it all work?
It does. Mayer takes his own sweet time with his solo albums, and the reward is a meticulous attention to detail on structure and production. Both reap their rewards here.
Is it recommended?
Very much so – The Floor Is Lava is a wonderful addition to the Kompakt co-supremo’s locker. Buy it and enjoy the compulsion to move!
For fans of… DJ Koze, Gui Boratto, Moderat, Ellen Allien
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Published post no.2,369 – Thursday 21 November 2024
Arcana.fm 