Tuesday 30 November 2010

More on Complex Silence 9 :: Fresh Landscapes

Cousin Silas_ Complex Silence 9_ Fresh Landscapes 01 and memories fade

As I said in my previous post... I prefer to let others talk about my releases and thought I'd include what Thomas Mathie thought of it ...


When I was working with Cousin Silas I sent him some initial thoughts on the tracks. I think its appropriate to post them here... to give you a flavour for the album.

1) "... and memories fade" - just like drips of rain after a rainstorm... memories fade. Beautiful Eno-esque ambience at its very best. Simple but effective. This track makes me think of the morning after a horrendous sleep... a sleep punctuated by terrible nightmares. You are slowly wakened to sunlight and the realisation that it... whatever "it" is has gone.

2) "Fresh Landscapes" - the idea that we can see something new in the ordinary. Wonderfully melancholic electronica (melancholica???)... lush synth waves that remind me of the bittersweet sensation of climbing a hill or finally arriving at an anticipated space... you have the elation that comes with seeing the new space but you also have that sense of it being over and you will have to find something new to chase.

3) "golden contrails" - I love this track. The sequencer really stirs my soul. I find it so uplifting and bright. This track is full of anticipation... the yearning of nearly being there. I see an open top jeep driving in a hot, barren landscape... the people in the car share the excitement of nearly arriving at their destination... their holiday home in the middle of nowhere. The passenger looks up and sees the contrails, bathed in sun, of the plane they were on leaving the island. The anticipation builds.

4) "Pollards Moor" - subtle and melancholy synths... reflecting the barrenness of an open moor, sparsely populated with trees. The sense of freedom and openness pervades... a quietness that is only interrupted by birds. A genuine sense of wonder.

5) "Stanedge Tunnels" - a well executed sound picture. Underground exploration. The stuff I dream about doing with my camera. Finding something abandoned and full of abandoned decay. The soundscape evokes the claustrophobia of an underground space. It is sparse... almost hidden... with sudden shocks of sound. Love it.

6) "Star Nursery" - there is a real sense of hope in this tune. a wonderful freshness. it reminds me of morning and of new life. I love when the sequencer comes in then goes almost as quickly as it arrives... almost like birdsong. Beautiful. My kind of ambient.

7) "The Tarn Cairn" - is another wonderful sound picture... very desolate and windswept. A real sense of isolation. That said... I don't feel hopeless isolation. More solitude. More well deserved space.

8) "Complexities in silence" immediately grabbed me for its haunting ambience... my kind of ambient music... lovely!

9) "Northcoates Point" gives a sense of place... a sense of being somewhere... a thin place... a place of mystery.

10) "Something landed in the forest" is just pure joy... a soundtrack to a sci-fi film. Very Delia Derbyshire in places. The atmosphere created by this track is wonderful... and a fitting last track, if indeed it is the last track.
I truly hope you will gain as much as I have from this album.

Tx

To see the full set of artwork that Thomas created for the release... go here.

Complex Silence #9 :: Fresh Landscapes



“There are such artists that quietly create and share their works and perhaps never really surface in the wild wild world of netlabel artists.

And to a certain point Cousin Silas is one of the best kept secrets under the radar, born and raised in the Colne valley of West Yorkshire, UK.

He first released in 2001 commercially through fflintcentral but quickly found the world of creative commons in 2005 with 4 releases to date on Earth Monkey productions, 4 releases on Earthrid and wandering through the netlabel world on Just not Normal, Acustronica, BFW Recordings.

As we all mature, it seems to me that through time the stronghold of Cousin Silas’ work digs deeper and has grown more subtle whilst remaining quite fragile.

Today Cousin Silas presents his 14th solo album here on Treetrunk. Continuing in the fantastic series called Complex Silence, Phillip Wilkerson brings to light a marvellous group of artists that dwell on the complexities of silence. One thing you can be sure of; this nineth complexity is one to hold dear. For Cousin Silas certainly masters this beautiful tonal silence and brings a beautiful 10 track album to set your mind off, into …..”
Mark Stolk (aka mystahr)

I am proud to announce my latest release... via Treetrunk Records... curated by Philip Wilkerson as part of the fantastic Complex Silence series. The release contains some truly wonderful artwork from Thomas Mathie who I am grateful to have worked with.

As always... I'll let others talk about the release... and my thanks to Mark Stolk (aka mystahr) for his kind words above.

Download it here for free and let me know what you think.