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█ █ P U B L I C . S O U N D
█ █
█ █ presenting our latest release
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r e l e a s e . i n f o
Artist.....: Martin BΘdard
Title......: Topographies
Rip Date...: Jun-2013 Cat.No.....: IMED 13121
Style......: Avantgarde Label......: empreintes DIGITALes
Quality....: VBRkbps Type.......: Album
Size.......: 93,2 MB Source.....: CDDA
r e l e a s e . n o t e s
The title of Martin Bedard highly anticipated release speaks by
itself: Topographies. It is a music full of relief showing a
remarkable work on high dynamics. Not one second of downtime will
be met, the music being filled of a rarely seen energy. The tight
discourse will bring the listener within dense and opaque spaces
where he will hold his breath, left by a feeling of emptiness
after a complete listening. A technically and aesthetically
dazzling release.
www.electrocd.com
ôNot one second of downtime will be met,ö declares the press
release, and in this case, the statement is true. Martin BΘdardÆs
Topographies fills every sonic nook with crashes, glissandos and
draws. This is a work of immediacy, beginning with a crash and
continuing with a clash. At certain times, it sounds like the work
of an orchestra attempting to tune during a train collision. Even
in its subtler moments, it conjures images of a factory collapsing
while the machinery is still running. Noiser than Zbeen, but
conveying a similar respect for abrasion bordering on noise,
BΘdardÆs work is thick and immersive, a piece of corrugated iron
filled with loose nuts and bolts.
While the five pieces were composed over the course of a decade,
they were mastered as one and serve as a fine primer to the
Canadian composerÆs work. BΘdard is not only a class teacher of
ôauditory perception, composition, and analysis of electroacoustic
musicö in MontrΘal, heÆs also a doctor. Yes, there is a place
where one can get a PhD in electroacoustic composition, and the
degree reflects a dedication to the cause. Thankfully, this is a
release of which he can be proud; any students who read this
review should know that their teacher is at the top of his game.
In other words, heÆs worth the tuition fee.
The earliest work included here, Topographie de la noirceur
(ôTopography of Darknessö) is also the only track short enough to
be a single. In an alternate world, it might have a chance of
success, as it contains four minutes of the most interesting music
many will hear all year. Imagine starting oneÆs car and tuning in
to a show like this: drums and bells and sharp glass edges. This
might cause one to reevaluate oneÆs relationship to music. Does it
have a beat? Can you dance to it? Are there lyrics? No - but a
clear tempo emerges from time to time, and the sounds of coins and
cannons rise to fill the sonic space.
Fast-forward a few years, and the artist has incorporated pieces
of an elegant choir, along with parts of what seems like a solemn
organ recital. Whooshes and percussive vibrations dominate Champs
de fouilles, which brings to mind the passage of a subway car or
clacking train. In the third minute, an approaching horn is
followed by the screech of brakes, but instead of disembarking
passengers, it dissolves into a murder of crows. Late in the
piece, the artist also demonstrates a new restraint, allowing
chords to descend into drone instead of preserving their
previously agitated levels.
Similar sounds occupy Push & Pull, making one think that
Topographies might have been better titled ôTransportation.ö This
time, the brakes are applied early and often, honoring the title:
push and pull, stop and go. A sample at 2:50 sounds just like the
slamming of a car door, another at 4:24 like a seatbelt warning
ping, and another at 6:10 (starting earlier but heard clearly
here) like a crossing gate being lowered. By Grand dehors (2011),
the glissandos are in full effect, and by MΘtal fatigue (2012) the
artistÆs more accessible aspects have fled, leaving in their wake
a cool abstraction.
Judging by the inspirations behind these pieces, which range from
to a Aleksandr Zinovyev novel to a rehabilitated QuΘbec prison to
the 400th anniversary of the province, itÆs clear that BΘdard has
more on his mind than just making music; he uses sound to honor
his inspirations. As the artist continues to operate in the field
of commissioned work, we look forward to many more creative
compositions; this first collection is simply a harbinger.
--By Richard Allen in a closer listen, June 14, 2013
p l a y l i s t
01 Grand dehors (2011) 09:57
02 Topographie de la noirceur (2004; arr. 2005) 03:56
03 Push & Pull (2010) 16:02
04 MΘtal fatigue (2012) 12:45
05 Champs de fouilles (2008) 10:40
53:20 min
g r e e t i n g s
agw - amok - bass - bcc - bex - boss - cmg - cmc - cms - d2h
def - dh - disc0 - drum - emp - ftd - fwyh - gem - i8 - ipc
jce - jfk - jrp - just - khz - kinky - kw - lame - maem - mbs
mgc - psycz - r2r - rac - radial - rapid - rks - rtb - sb
sever - sfe - soup - sour - sq - tr - trt - ube - uc - upe
uki - xtc - yard - zi
respect to music lovers worldwide
never forget : go to the show. buy the t-shirt. order the vinyl