Shing-a-lings
CD Reviews by Mr. Shing-A-Ling
Eluvium- Talk Amongst The Trees (Ambient)
Back in the early 70's Brian Eno came up with a somewhat new music style he dubbed "ambient". The impetus behind creating this music was to give the listener something that they could put in or on the stereo that woundn't necessarily demand all of your attention but could be enjoyed as part of the environment. A kind of background music with intelligence. Eno believed that sounds he created on tape could be integrated with whatever pre-existing sonic field you happen to be in.
The structure of ambient was entirely different than the accepted melodic formula. Music styles as disparate as Punk and Classical had some kind of melodic, linear function. But with ambient, the listener could walk out of the room for 10 minutes then come back and slip right back into that realm of sound and not miss a beat. You can imagine that this kind of approach was mostly scoffed at an ignored by most at first. Perhaps in a similar way in which the general public regarded the paintings of Jackson Pollock. People say, "Its not real art" or "It takes no skill." And to the untrained eye or the unaware ear perhaps it seems very much that way. And there have been and still are a plethora of bad Pollock and Eno imitators. For those who enjoy the ambient works of Eno and Harold Budd, the musical artist Eluvium out of Portland, Oregon is something you've gotta check out. I'm super picky when it comes to ambient music and these guys made the cut big time. So-called ambient music has seen a big revitalization in the last 10 years or so with acts like Aphex Twin bringing it to the "rave/electronic" crowd. Ambient, in the 90's" became a term that Djs and mixers used for the mellow music they played after raves or all-night ecstasy-fueled parties. People would just chill out to the tones and drones after hours of sonic assaults and mechanical beats. But most of this "ambient" in my opinion is pure crap. Its no better than easy-listening or generic space-music. It takes a certain gift to create good ambient. Perhaps in the same way it does to make minimalist art. Eluvium has this gift. All the sounds you hear on this album are organically derived. Overdriven guitars and backwards feedback beautifully mixed into long swells of atmospheric space. These songs will take you places if you let them. I had an experience driving here in Colorado out on a huge expansive plain between mountain ranges and listening to this album. Like some kind of sonic cloak, it enshrouded the entire interior of the vehicle and glided me along the alpine roadway.
I listen to a lot of music which has a lot of action going on in it which stimulates the mind, but also it can make it tired, taxed and saturated. It nice to have something like Eluvium's Talk Amongst the Trees in your collection. It lets your brain breathe a little. As I believe John Cage once said, "It's the next best thing to silence."
Eluvium- Talk Amongst The Trees (Ambient)
Back in the early 70's Brian Eno came up with a somewhat new music style he dubbed "ambient". The impetus behind creating this music was to give the listener something that they could put in or on the stereo that woundn't necessarily demand all of your attention but could be enjoyed as part of the environment. A kind of background music with intelligence. Eno believed that sounds he created on tape could be integrated with whatever pre-existing sonic field you happen to be in.
The structure of ambient was entirely different than the accepted melodic formula. Music styles as disparate as Punk and Classical had some kind of melodic, linear function. But with ambient, the listener could walk out of the room for 10 minutes then come back and slip right back into that realm of sound and not miss a beat. You can imagine that this kind of approach was mostly scoffed at an ignored by most at first. Perhaps in a similar way in which the general public regarded the paintings of Jackson Pollock. People say, "Its not real art" or "It takes no skill." And to the untrained eye or the unaware ear perhaps it seems very much that way. And there have been and still are a plethora of bad Pollock and Eno imitators. For those who enjoy the ambient works of Eno and Harold Budd, the musical artist Eluvium out of Portland, Oregon is something you've gotta check out. I'm super picky when it comes to ambient music and these guys made the cut big time. So-called ambient music has seen a big revitalization in the last 10 years or so with acts like Aphex Twin bringing it to the "rave/electronic" crowd. Ambient, in the 90's" became a term that Djs and mixers used for the mellow music they played after raves or all-night ecstasy-fueled parties. People would just chill out to the tones and drones after hours of sonic assaults and mechanical beats. But most of this "ambient" in my opinion is pure crap. Its no better than easy-listening or generic space-music. It takes a certain gift to create good ambient. Perhaps in the same way it does to make minimalist art. Eluvium has this gift. All the sounds you hear on this album are organically derived. Overdriven guitars and backwards feedback beautifully mixed into long swells of atmospheric space. These songs will take you places if you let them. I had an experience driving here in Colorado out on a huge expansive plain between mountain ranges and listening to this album. Like some kind of sonic cloak, it enshrouded the entire interior of the vehicle and glided me along the alpine roadway.
I listen to a lot of music which has a lot of action going on in it which stimulates the mind, but also it can make it tired, taxed and saturated. It nice to have something like Eluvium's Talk Amongst the Trees in your collection. It lets your brain breathe a little. As I believe John Cage once said, "It's the next best thing to silence."
posted by R.Chip DeGlinkta at 8:42 AM
<< Home