▄▄ [ INFORMATION ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
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█ ARTIST: Listening Mirror █
█ TITLE: What's Wrong With Miracles? █
█ LABEL: Twice Removed █
█ GENRE: Ambient █
█ BITRATE: 218kbps avg █
█ PLAYTIME: 0h 57min total █
█ RELEASE DATE: 2012-00-00 █
█ RIP DATE: 2012-04-14 █
█ URL: █
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▄▄ [ TRACKLIST ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
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█ 01. That Boat Has Sailed 19:46 █
█ 02. It's In The Trees 17:42 █
█ 03. Storm Train 20:16 █
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▄▄ [ NOTES ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
█ █
█ Review from FutureSequence: █
█ Released on the 1st of April alongside K Wilson and These Ship Wrecks on █
█ Australian micro-label Twice Removed Records, Listening MirrorÆs æWhatÆs █
█ Wrong With Miracles?Æ adds a touch of the neo-classical to the █
█ overwhelmingly tired electronic sounds of todayÆs drone genre, to █
█ outstanding effect. Working under the moniker of Listening Mirror, Jeff █
█ Stonehouse claims his aim is merely to ôextract some beauty from the █
█ noise that surrounds us all every dayö, and has a background in sound █
█ recording and manipulation, as opposed to the creation of music itself - █
█ or at least in the usual sense. Through the repetition of piano motifs █
█ and raw analogue tones, a dense soundscape of raw, moody thought is █
█ created, encapsulating the listener. At almost an hour long, æWhatÆs █
█ Wrong With Miracles?Æ is a serious listen, but well worth it. That it is █
█ definitely three separate tracks does also make it an easier listen to █
█ those not fully inaugurated into the world of heavy ambient █
█ compositions. █
█ █
█ æStorm TrainÆ opens the record with thudding sub-bass attacks and █
█ samples curving into the ether of reverb that surrounds much of the █
█ album. At twenty minutes long, it is by far the most obviously █
█ claustrophobic of the three tracks on æWhatÆs Wrong With Miracles?Æ, █
█ and, sounding like being in a bomb shelter under a piano factory, the █
█ most easily accessible of the compositions - being the more æobviousÆ of █
█ the three - however not in a way that removes from the achievement of █
█ the the track. █
█ █
█ æIts in the TreesÆ slowly builds tonne-heavy bass tones over layers of █
█ piano; a stark contrast to the hallucinogen- inspired foliage of the █
█ album's artwork. Sounding like an organic, slowed down Throbbing Gristle █
█ in parts, it would be surprising if this particular composition of █
█ StonehouseÆs is not used for some theatrical or cinematic purposes at █
█ some point in the future. Indeed, the combination of the titleÆs █
█ ambiguous threat, the cognitive dissonance created between the music and █
█ the cover art and the fact that although the piece does build slowly, it █
█ throughout seems unshakably immobile, creates an atmosphere that can █
█ only be fully experienced in artistic isolation. █
█ █
█ To lift one out of the suffocation of the previous tracks is the no less █
█ threatening æThat Boat Has SailedÆ. Seemingly composed analogous to █
█ being a photo negative of æStorm TrainÆ and æIts in the TreesÆ, æThat █
█ Boat Has SailedÆ comprises of static, pitch-shifting noise and heavy █
█ analogue tones circling like predators. In a similar fashion to the █
█ other tracks, one is led down a path of paranoia for much of æThat Boat █
█ Has SailedÆ. However, towards the end, the mood is lifted slightly by █
█ slow oscillations of sound and an almost perfect cadence from the █
█ underlying chords. As gratifying as this is, this moment of hope is █
█ snatched away by the ending of the track. █
█ █
█ Whilst perhaps not as varied as earlier releases such as æThe Heart of █
█ the SkyÆ, the advantage of æWhatÆs Wrong With Miracles?Æ is that █
█ StonehouseÆs ability to create emotional effect from even the smallest █
█ of musical nuances is put under the microscope; a skill that is not █
█ evident enough in the current musical environment, with the almost █
█ infinite possibilities of music software allowing musicians to bounce █
█ from one sound-set to the next without properly assessing and █
█ discovering the many possibilities within it, outside of the obvious few █
█ - a path most definitely not taken by Stonehouse. █
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