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d i s s i d e n t
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a r t i s t : Rothko-Blk w/Bear
t i t l e : Wish For A World Without Hurt
d a t e : 2003
l a b e l : Trace Recordings
g e n r e : Ambient
r l s. d a t e : Oct-2003
t r a c k s : 08
b i t r a t e : 192kbps
s i z e : 70,6 MB
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Gorgeous and mournful, this is a recording (as the title
promises) that encourages contemplation of the human condition.
Rothko, which was previously a dark ambient group comprised of
three electric bassists and assorted guests, has now apparently
been distilled into Mark Beazley alone, who seems to be playing
electric guitar more than bass -- and quite possibly a treated
piano or other keyboard. The "quite possibly" is advised,
because Rothko's collaborator on this recording, BLK w/ BEAR
(aka J.S., Adams) is a visual artist and self-confessed
purveyor of "failed communication and decomposed transmission"
who could, in fact, be playing (or sampling) almost anything at
all.
The extraordinary title track begins with a melancholy, watery
keyboard figure that carries the suggestion of tolling church
bells or channel buoys in thick fog. Harold Budd (who has
previously worked with Rothko) would be proud. Adams' arresting
contribution comes twenty-five seconds into the piece, in the
form of distant, muted sounds of a huge, cataclysmic crash,
which are subsequently varied in duration and intensity as they
occasionally re-emerge throughout the piece. The two musicians
have previously stated that their collaboration is intended as
a remembrance of 9/11, but this sound is symbolic as much as
literal, and it conveys a feeling of unease and foreboding as
much as one of disaster.
Next up is "I feel lost without you," which features Adams'
turntable manipulations. It stutters and stammers its way into
a gray, minor-key oblivion, and its communication of personal
dislocation is haunting and emotionally charged. Then on
"Declaration of loss," Beazley's guitar makes its first
appearance, after a nice opening of trance minimalist keyboard
drones. The guitar is much more prominent than the keyboards in
most of the remaining six tracks, including this one, and it's
the kind of guitar you'd perhaps expect from an accomplished
bassist - clean, clear and understated. Riffs are repeated
slowly and thoughtfully, with subtle variations in duration and
interval, while Adams adds contributions from his discrete
palette of rumbles, clicks and wheezy drone harmonies. The
guitar is double-tracked on "Treasure of memories," and as the
title attests, the sound of Beazley's guitar generally leans
more toward dream-like reverie than to the heart-rending sorrow
of the opening track, even though virtually everything on the
CD, including the guitar work, is downtempo and in minor keys.
"Dropped from clouds" serves as a kind of showcase for Adams;
his ghostly, shrouded treatments are on equal footing here with
Beazley's almost subliminal guitar musings. "Lowering with
wolves" also allows Adams to work his magic with a variety of
quietly unsettling sounds that seem to emerge directly from the
subconscious. The dirge-like "Like nails in the rain," which is
the other prime cut of restrained suffering (along with the
title track), features the plaintive, neo-primitive violin work
of Frances Morgan, backed as usual by Adams' gently ambiguous
textures. Comparisons can be invidious, but more than anything
else this recording harkens back to vintage Brian Eno and
Harold Budd. It invites you to sink just as deeply into it as
you wish, and can function either as pleasant but rather
pensive background music or as a powerful stimulus to serious
reflection.
(http://sonomu.net)
artist's site:
(http://www.rothkomusic.co.uk)
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01-Wish for a world without hurt [06:20]
02-I feel lost without you [07:23]
03-Declaration of loss [07:06]
04-Dropped from clouds [07:04]
05-Dream for an end to sorrow [04:57]
06-Like nails in the rain [05:55]
07-Treasure of memories [06:16]
08-Lowering with wolves [06:17]
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51:18 min
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