Customer Reviews

Approaching Silence

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a welcome return of the Ambient David Sylvian of the late 80s, which included two excellent collaborations with ex-Can bassist Holger Czukay. The three tracks here paint vast landscapes and create beautiful atmospheres for those who are ready to challenge their ears a little. The two first tracks have previously been released in a limited edition box set, and the 38 minute closing track is recorded for an exhibition with Robert Fripp. The style of the music is similar in feel to some of Brian Enos ambient work, as well as Bill Nelsons Crimsworth, which was also recorded to accompany an exhibition.

Back in the 1980s, Sylvian did two amazing collaborative albums with Holger Czukay. These were dark, lush, multilayered efforts, each with only two tracks apiece, but in those two tracks seemingly encompassing whole vast landscapes of sound. And here, Sylvian has returned to the same, complex turf with a set of pieces for some art installations. This picks up where the Sylvian/Czukay albums leave off, and add several degrees further of depth, it seems. The first track pairs Sylvian with percussionist Frank Perry, playing gongs and bells, creating an atmosphere akin to that of some otherworldly Zen temple. Then there's a little 'seed' piece of soundsources, leading into the work they're intended for, which is a vast twilight soundplace which pairs Sylvian and Robert Fripp. Those expecting "Darshan" here will be disappointed...but those who found the beautiful, unfolding textures of the ambient works on Sylvian's "Gone to Earth" to their liking will be enthralled with this seemingly endless sonic vista. Intriguing music, both for listening as well as for 'pure ambient' uses as background sonics, and some of the best ambient work I've heard in the past few years.

For the first time since "Ember Glance" David Sylvian releases more of his ambient 'instillation' music. This is the perfect stuff to put on in the background while reading, plus close listening provides its own rewards. This is my bag, I only wish Sylvian would release more, both vocal and instrumental.

...but this one suit me just fine. Because it isn't really a new album, it's a re-release of some hard-to-get material. Where it fits my needs is the fact that I came on board a bit late as a fan. My brother lent me "Gone To Earth" and I ended up holding onto his copy until I got me one. The owner of the store who sold me that one also sold me his personal copy of "Secrets Of the Beehive". It took me forever to find "Brilliant Trees", but eventually I did. Then I discovered his ambient work--you see, he's two artists in one--progressive and ambient. I grabbed his two albums with Can alumnus Holger Czukay, but by the time I did that, his first one--"Ember Glance" with Russell Mills--had dropped out of print. Not to mention the fact that his box set, the "Weatherbox", is in and out of print on an irregular basis and costs a mint when it is available. Well, for those of you who wanted "Ember Glance", here it is in the form of the tracks "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" and "Epiphany". Plus, the third track, the title track with Robert Fripp, has only been available before on (I think) the "Weatherbox". Oddly enough, that track "approaches silence" the least closely of any of the three--it's more of drone than a whisper, with an aspect of a regular tolling that suggests a large cathedral bell. Those of you who aren't into ambient (which I'm not either, especially) will notice that Sylvian's ambent material is influenced by his progressive side, and as such, has a bit more tonality about it. That's probably why it appeals even to me. Not only that, this album is really a twofer--the first two tracks were their an album in their own right and the third could have been. And it's an import. Which gets you a double length import for the price of a single-length domestic realease. If you like Sylvian at all, how can you go wrong with this thing?

Since the other reviewers have done such a great job, except the guy below :) , here is my quick capsule of Approaching Silence. If you like Sylvian's masterful "Gone to Earth", Peter Gabriel, especially the song "We Do What We're Told" from "So", the "Kundun" soundtrack, and Pre-Dark Side Floyd, particulary "Saucerful of Secrets" and "Echoes", do try this CD! It's mellow, multi-layered and deliciously eerie in parts. Enjoy!

This is terrific ambient music, one of the best recent releases in this overworked genre that can readily lapse into 'New Age'. The title track is an epic, the pick of the Sylvian/Fripp collaborations, and has Sylvian's smoother atmospheres punctuated by Fripp's sonic clusters, full of fear and trembling. Devotees of these artists and of electronic music need to become acquainted with this challenging work.

"Approaching Silence" is a compilation of David Sylvian's rarest ambient installements-- "Ember Glance", a collaboration with Russell Mills, received brief release as a limited edition piece, whereas as far as I know, "Redemption: Approaching Silence", a collaboration with Robert Fripp, has never been released.

"Ember Glance" consists of two pieces-- "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" is an extended work that combines a haunting ambient repetitive strain in the background with an aggressive shifting foreground. The piece is highly evocative and significantly more demanding on the listener then one would ever suspect an ambient piece would be and like the best ambient works, it clearly defines a mood. In that regard, it's highly successful. Having said that, it's very cinematic qualities leave me feeling that something is entirely missing from the presentation, like it's the score to a movie that haven't seen. This is further emphasized by the piece's inability to hold my interest the whole way through-- writing this review, I find that 20 minutes in, I'm checking to see how much longer until the recording ends. It does, however, contrast nicely with the second piece in "Ember Glance", "Epiphany", at just over two minutes, provides odd vocals, spoken voices, and the sound of a rolling train. How the two fit isn't clear, but they do reflect nicely off each other as "Epiphany" ends practically before you notice it began.

The title track, "Approaching Silence", is a wholly different beast. Nearly 40 minutes it length, it is a piece that staggeringly demands your attention, shuffling between sonic frameworks and rather powerful pulsing passages, constantly shifting and moving. Spoken voice flits just below audability, as if through a radio that's not quite coming in. It all works out to be quite an intriguing work.

The material on "Approaching Silence" is not easy listening-- its extended format means it requires a lot of attention to sink in, but its nature as ambient music limits this. For those new to Sylvian's ambient works, I'd recommend "Gone To Earth"-- the second disc of that two disc work is all instrumetnal, and while strictly ambient, its general adherence to melody might do better for a first listen. For those interested in more detail in Sylvian's ambient work (and who have the "Camphor" anthology), this may be a good place to look next.

This is a welcome return of the Ambient David Sylvian of the late 80s, which included two excellent collaborations with ex-Can bassist Holger Czukay. The three tracks here paint vast landscapes and create beautiful atmospheres for those who are ready to challenge their ears a little. The two first tracks have previously been released in a limited edition box set, and the 38 minute closing track is recorded for an exhibition with Robert Fripp. The style of the music is similar in feel to some of Brian Enos ambient work, as well as Bill Nelsons Crimsworth, which was also recorded to accompany an exhibition.

If you thought that David Sylvian's joint ventures with Holger Czukay (Plight & premonition and Flux & Mutability)were worth listening to, you will appreciate this. It gets way back into the deep cavities of your mind and is worth meditating on. Again, this is not for you if you are looking for pulse pounding techno, or lyric laden tracks, this is for accending the chakras. Be in the mood when you put it on, or this will put you into a meditative mood. enjoy.

These pieces of music were reportedly composed to be used as background music in an exhibition. Consequently, they don't evolve much in spite of their length. Having heard the first minute, you've more or less heard the whole song. In that way they are different from e.g. "Plight and Premonition" and some other longer ambient compositions of David Sylvian. But, they fill their purpose very well taken as what they were originally meant to be. A minor complaint: "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" with its electronic instruments sounds more like music with an 'outer space' theme than something to do with beekeeping - maybe warmer instruments such as woodwind would have made the title more appropriate for this piece.