a r t i s t : Mike Harris
t i t l e : The boy observes the ocean
d a t e : 2011
l a b e l : hibernate
g e n r e : Ambient
r l s. d a t e : Feb/2012
t r a c k s : 04
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 72,3 MB
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British ambient/electroacoustic composer Mark Harris comes
from a visual arts background, and first came to attention on
the Francisco Lopez-curated Birmingham Sound Matter
compilation released on Audiobulb a year or so ago. This debut
solo album finds Harris cultivating field recordings, snippets
of bowed guitar, saxophone and violin and channelling them
through his own customised software applications. The Boy
Observes The Ocean seems like a quiet and rather subtle work
at first but with a little volume cranking and concentration
you'll be plunged into a fertile and vibrant listening
environment that brims with emotive harmonies. In opening with
'I Am A Long Way From Home', Harris plunges into a slow-
moving, yet gently tuneful system of drones and reverbs, with
concrete textures creeping into the mix to lend an extra
dimension. The found-sound element increases its presence on
'Approaching Tide - Heacham 1973', a track that abstracts
coastal field recordings to the point where they have the same
gauzy, echo-treated quality as the swelling instrumental tones
around them. The strings embedded in this track prove to be
especially ear-catching. The two final pieces are far
lengthier affairs and Harris makes good use of the added room
for manoeuvre; the title track is arguably the finest thing
here, using bowed instruments to great effect and
intermingling layers of electronically treated drone with more
neo-classical influenced tendencies.
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01-i am a long way from home [05:40]
02-approaching tide heacham 1973 [05:14]
03-the boy observes the ocean [17:14]
04-with wings (pressed back) [16:43]
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44:51 min