Shing-a-lings
CD Reviews by Mr. Shing-a-Ling
The Books- Lost and Safe (sound collage, folktronica)
In my last review I talked about music as ambience, non-linear audio environments. Using electronic or organic means to create a field of sound that can be appreciated in a "Gestalt" sort of way, the whole experience being more that the sum of its parts. Many ambient artists use recordings from the field in their works. They look for inspiration in rural and urban environments, perhaps incorporating the distant roar of a factory or the clanking of a chain on a flag pole into the their compositions. But one thing that is missing from all ambient (and should be by definition) is a lead part or a melody. And sorry, no guitar solos. But not all sound artists have looked at found sound in terms of only ambient possibilities. There are some who hear actual musical or melodical stuctures in the environment. Obvious examples are bird songs. A close friend of mine who is currently getting his PhD is composition has looked to birds for inspiration in melodic development. And anyone who has listened deeply to Jazz players such as Eric Dolphy or Wayne Shorter can find moments in certain solos where the chirping notes of thier saxes transfrom into almost animalistic biological expressions. Human speech can also contain highly melodic possibilities. Minimalist composer, Steve Reich, saw this back in the 60's and used interviews from various speakers to form his compositions, most notibley on his masterpiece "Different Trains" where he lets the spoken word dictate the melodic and rhytmatic essence of the musical pieces he creates.
Sound artists, The Books, two musicians from two different sides of the Atlantic, have tapped into the melodic potential of the spoken word. Lost and Safe comes as their third album and it mostly stays true to the same musical vision as on the first two. They encorporate plenty of live instumentation, notably guitar, banjo, and violin into cut up and reassembled pieces of sound which include people speaking, children playing, laughs, and grunts. One can't help but imagine the amount of time that must have gone into such a seemingly delicate arrangement of sounds, so called musical or non-musical. The Books are one of the few artists in modern "electronic music" that absolutely don't sound electronic at all. In fact, they might be filed in the folk section of a CD store due to the huge folk-like presence in thier music. They seem to draw alot of influence from grass roots America. The only thing electronic going on here is the electronic manipuation of oranic sounds. It's sound editing as an instrument. How these guys tour live (and I guess they have started doing it) is beyond me. It's pure studio genius. But both of the musicians in The Books can play thier instruments damn well which I guess explains their innate ability to arrange found sounds in such a musical way.
Some highlights on Lost and Safe are "Be Good To Them Always", where snippits of voice redordings seem selected for their highly emotional content. All these different voices coming together in some magical way and accompanied by rythmatic acoustic guitars and violins. And "An Animated Description of Mr. Maps", which is driven by what seems to be the rustling of footsteps and slamming of doors with several levels of vocals and strategically placed sound samples.
Artists like The Books are reminding us all of the musical world around us, suggesting that you don't always have to look to "musical instruments" for musical possibilities. Music is alive and well in the voices of your friends, the humming of the insects, or the chiming of a distant clock tower.
The Books- Lost and Safe (sound collage, folktronica)
In my last review I talked about music as ambience, non-linear audio environments. Using electronic or organic means to create a field of sound that can be appreciated in a "Gestalt" sort of way, the whole experience being more that the sum of its parts. Many ambient artists use recordings from the field in their works. They look for inspiration in rural and urban environments, perhaps incorporating the distant roar of a factory or the clanking of a chain on a flag pole into the their compositions. But one thing that is missing from all ambient (and should be by definition) is a lead part or a melody. And sorry, no guitar solos. But not all sound artists have looked at found sound in terms of only ambient possibilities. There are some who hear actual musical or melodical stuctures in the environment. Obvious examples are bird songs. A close friend of mine who is currently getting his PhD is composition has looked to birds for inspiration in melodic development. And anyone who has listened deeply to Jazz players such as Eric Dolphy or Wayne Shorter can find moments in certain solos where the chirping notes of thier saxes transfrom into almost animalistic biological expressions. Human speech can also contain highly melodic possibilities. Minimalist composer, Steve Reich, saw this back in the 60's and used interviews from various speakers to form his compositions, most notibley on his masterpiece "Different Trains" where he lets the spoken word dictate the melodic and rhytmatic essence of the musical pieces he creates.
Sound artists, The Books, two musicians from two different sides of the Atlantic, have tapped into the melodic potential of the spoken word. Lost and Safe comes as their third album and it mostly stays true to the same musical vision as on the first two. They encorporate plenty of live instumentation, notably guitar, banjo, and violin into cut up and reassembled pieces of sound which include people speaking, children playing, laughs, and grunts. One can't help but imagine the amount of time that must have gone into such a seemingly delicate arrangement of sounds, so called musical or non-musical. The Books are one of the few artists in modern "electronic music" that absolutely don't sound electronic at all. In fact, they might be filed in the folk section of a CD store due to the huge folk-like presence in thier music. They seem to draw alot of influence from grass roots America. The only thing electronic going on here is the electronic manipuation of oranic sounds. It's sound editing as an instrument. How these guys tour live (and I guess they have started doing it) is beyond me. It's pure studio genius. But both of the musicians in The Books can play thier instruments damn well which I guess explains their innate ability to arrange found sounds in such a musical way.
Some highlights on Lost and Safe are "Be Good To Them Always", where snippits of voice redordings seem selected for their highly emotional content. All these different voices coming together in some magical way and accompanied by rythmatic acoustic guitars and violins. And "An Animated Description of Mr. Maps", which is driven by what seems to be the rustling of footsteps and slamming of doors with several levels of vocals and strategically placed sound samples.
Artists like The Books are reminding us all of the musical world around us, suggesting that you don't always have to look to "musical instruments" for musical possibilities. Music is alive and well in the voices of your friends, the humming of the insects, or the chiming of a distant clock tower.
posted by R.Chip DeGlinkta at 8:31 AM
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