Release Info:
Artist : Funerary Call
Album : The Mirror Reversed II
Genre : Ambient
Label : Cyclic Law
Catnum : 77th Cycle
Source : CDDA
URL : http://www.discogs.com/Funerary-Call-The-Mirror-Reversed-II/release/
Mode Info:
Tracks : 1
Time : 00:46:01
Size : 78.91 MB
Encode : LAME 32bits version 3.98.4 (http://www.mp3dev.org/) -V0
Quality : 228kbps 44100Hz Joint Stereo
Tracklist:
1. The Mirror Reversed II 46:01
46:01 (min)
Throughout history, tales abound about the lure and mysticism of the mirror.
Its reflective nature has given it quite a widespread cultural reputation as
doorway, medium, and prognosticator. Some say the mirror is a glimpse into
another dimension where a perfect double of each of us lurks, burning with
jealousy, waiting for the right moment to leak through and reclaim the identity
we have stolen. And everyone has, at some point, switched off the bathroom
light and chanted ôBloody Mary.ö
Harlow MacFarlane has his version too. His dark ambient project Funerary Call
has released a two-volume examination of the mirror, titled The Mirror
Reversed. The first volume was released on Cyclic Law in 2013, and now
Funerary Call has concluded the experiment with The Mirror Reversed II, a
forty-six-minute single-track album containing an assortment of drones and
atmospheres that are intended to symbolize the duality on both sides of the
looking glass and how it affects each of us.
A one-track dark ambient album is nothing new, but Funerary CallÆs approach is
notably different in structure. Rather than a single unbroken album that flows
ceaselessly from start to end, The Mirror Reversed II is largely a collection
of short bursts bracketed by moments of complete silence. YouÆll hear a
distant rumble that morphs into a Vangelis-style analog blare, only to hear it
dissipate into nothing until the next pitched whine emerges from the void.
ItÆs an interesting formula, and one that keeps the listener guessing at what
might be just beyond the horizon, while also allowing MacFarlane to show his
technical and sound-design chops. HeÆs got a stunning array of tricks up his
sleeve and displays them with careful deliberation; itÆs not until the album is
over that you realize the sheer scope of the tools at his disposal. Buzzes,
clinks, sweeps, tones, synth chords, whistles: theyÆre all present and
accounted for, and all have plenty of virtual space in which to stretch their
analog and digital limbs.
The additional effect is more aesthetic. As I listened, I began to visualize a
journey through the mirror into whatever lay beyond. What I got was a series
of close encounters with phenomena or entities taken straight from the realm of
dreams, separated by moments where I drifted through quiet emptiness. Were
these encounters embodiments of my own psyche, or from the psyche of others?
Were the others visitors like myself, or residents of this strange realm? I
could only speculate.
The Mirror Reversed II is not ambient from the darkest hidden corners of
existence. ItÆs a place of alien mystery, surely, and full of thingsùand
non-thingsùthat are utterly unlike anything witnessed before, but thereÆs no
sense of peril. Rather there is only strangeness, in myriad forms. Dark
ambient enthusiasts will hear touches of Phaenon, SleepResearch_Facility,
Inade, and other familiar artists; MacFarlane isnÆt breaking any new genre
ground here, but thatÆs of minor consequence. What matters is his theme and
how he approaches it.
As the album progressed, I noticed it did change its formula in subtle ways.
The series of short processed drones evened out into a bed of buried gurgles
and deep rumbles rather than the silence-drone-silence template of the early
moments. Funerary Call has made a slow-moving album, but one full of variety
and anticipation. One canÆt help but wonder what odd beast MacFarlane is next
going to pull out of his proverbial hat. The variety did lessen towards the
end, especially during a drawn-out stretch of swampy bubbling about two-thirds
of the way in, but things righted themselves soon enough.
The Mirror Reversed II is a compilation of dark ambient haiku sourced from the
other side of reality. In the hands of a lesser talent, a concept such as this
could have been a muddled mess, but MacFarlane has been at his craft for too
long to fall victim to such basic mistakes. While the album does run the risk
of losing the immersion factor for some listeners who may not buy into the
somewhat unconventional structure, The Mirror Reversed II may, on the other
hand, make you believe in all those legends of yore.