by: Zero Sharp
Stephen Stapleton is someone who needs little introduction to those versed in strange, dark experimental music, but what about those out there who haven't managed to become introduced to the inner circles of the underground? Looking at the release list for his major project, Nurse With Wound, it's daunting to even figure out where to think about starting. It seems like all of the releases are collectables, and many of them are out of print in one form or another. Many are radically different: some are floating ambient while others scratch and scream themselves to oblivion. For those fans of the former, I have a suggestion. In 1988, on a record label called Idle Hole, a three plate vinyl album called "Soliloquy for Lilith" was released to much fanfare. It was an incredible collection of dreamscapes that called back to and pondered the darker Lilith as seen in days past. (Before Lilith started being equated with granola and independence for women.) For those not lucky enough to own one of these rather rare boxes, there is hope. Recently, "Soliloquy for Lilith" was reissued as a CD box, and even more, to match the look and feel of the old record box, another CD worth of material was released bringing the number of CDs up to three instead of the old two. The extra material sounds seamless along side the old material, and if it wasn't in fact recorded at the same time, I would be exteremely surprised. The music itself is minimalism at its best. All of the pieces are various kinds of drones, some more heterogeneous than others, but even at their most quickly changing, their incrimental evolution is slight. Some choose to voice themselves through what sound to be real instruments: one track centers on a violin oscillating between two tones while other tracks are pure synth. It is clear from the way the drones flow that there are few who can produce on Stapleton's level, and the experience of floating through these crafted worlds has rarely been matched. The sounds usedhere are superb, and the mastering suits the album brilliantly. This album is a masterpiece, and even if you are familiar with drone work, check this out; it tops almost all I've ever heard.
Share
|
|
