- 2007-Feb-02
As a Means Through Which I Can Speak by Ben Fleury-Steiner
 "The three essentials of the English language are: Purity, Perspicuity and Precision."—Joseph Devlin
Ben Fleury-Steiner runs the non-profit record label Gears of Sand. Gears of Sand uses a straightforward and admirable plan. The label releases ambient and Zoviet-France-esque experimental artists in limited edition CD-Rs, featuring solid artwork. Its roster of artists is impressive, and each GoS recoding I have heard has been a worthwhile experience.
Dr. Fleury-Steiner's own work, As a Means Through Which I Can Speak, presents eight pieces which explore the furrowed yet rich field of melodic drone. Recorded between August 2005 and September 2006, the work contains atmospheric pieces which seek to approximate a "journey of discovery." As a Means Through Which I Can Speak opens with "Distance is an Accomplishment of the World (Part One)," a strong piece which uses a mildly ethereal melody and spaces between sounds to achieve a pleasing effect. "As a Means through which I Can Speak (Part One)," the next piece, achieves a resonance I found very satisfying. These two pieces are perhaps the strongest on the CD.
Fleury-Steiner's work is neither synth-happy nor so minimal as to be a mere soundscape for pondering. He instead achieves a balanced sound which, in the main, satisfies both the electronic pioneer and the person who, as I do, enjoys hearing melodic themes elegantly expressed in drone. The decision to break two of the tracks into parts is a wise one. I could easily imagine this release being broken down further from eight pieces into twelve or sixteen. I think this is because what I value in this work is its sense of a crisp moment—a sense that is subserved by shorter pieces. The pieces on this release are not equally effective. The pieces that have a melodic theme embedded effectively in the drones please my ears far more than the pieces which merely achieve a particular drone-riff and settle in for the duration. The release has a solid sense of production values, and the mastering by William Fields is effective.
I've admired Gears of Sand since I acquired one of its initial releases. Its releases consistently illustrate how small labels can do things that large labels are no longer capable of doing. As a Means Through Which I Can Speak provides a rich array of interesting pieces—uneven perhaps, but never unentertaining. Even the least pieces are a solid listen, and the best pieces are sublime. Ambient music, like the English language in the old Joseph Devlin saw, may be about "purity," "perspicuity" and "precision," yet Fleury-Steiner reminds us that ambient music is also about lingering questions, half-dreamt notions, and everyday-ecstatic encounters. As a Means Through Which I Can Speak eschews dronastic bombast and elven song titles in search of a kind of off-kilter yet lovely sonic poetry. It is a meditation without chant, and a question-less evocation of mystery. I'm glad I listened to this mode of speaking.
Available from Gears of Sand.
Review by ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) gurdonark.
- 2006-Sep-14
Apophasis by Caul
 "The spirit of the unattained,
I am to those who seek to name me,
A good desired but never gained:
All shall pursue, but none shall claim me."
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Titles of songs and genre labels for artists who create ambient music intrigue me. Bret Smith, who records as Caul, has created an intriguing album, Apophasis, which I will use to illustrate my point. The notes for the album at the Darkwinter site proclaim that: "Apophasis is 'negative theology'—a view of God determined by defining what God is not." This title evokes my interest, and adds a narrative quality to the story. The note also proclaims that the album was "[r]ecorded June-July 2006 at Epiphany Studios, Baldwin City KS." My initial knee-jerk reaction causes me to wonder if the album would sound differently to me if the title of the album had been "Baldwin City, Kansas."
A similar question arises when one considers the artist Caul, who has established himself as a dark ambient artist. Apophasis fits within the genre of dark ambient, but to dismiss it as "another dark ambient drone" would be inappropriate. The album provides a rich but not cluttered landscape of sound, from its minimalist opening section through lyrical but not overpowering melodic sections into a crescendo of quiet noise.
An artist chooses an album or song title for a reason, even if the reason is that the title merely serves as a placeholder. This title seems more than a placeholder. In this sonic context, apophasis, as defined for the listener, gives a springboard from which to contemplate the work. The single piece which comprises this album serves as a kind of metaphor for the spaces between—the places beyond conventional expectation—in the title's illustration, the places where God is not (and which are not God). It features some of the otherworldly sounds and evocative passages one might expect from a quasi-religious reference. The album fails to fall into stereotype, though, providing instead a solid experience which rewards the listener. Ambient devotees enjoy the spaces where the fabric of sound creates music within the silence. Caul's work on this album provides ample joy in this regard.
The album features a sense of quiet determination—a kind of exploration of sound. Had the album indeed been named "Garden City, Kansas," it would have had the same impact, but perhaps evoked for some listeners different imagery. It is tempting to divert into a discussion of the correlation between Kansas prairie and the things that are not God, but such sarcasm is beside the point.
The point is instead that Darkwinter and Caul deliver here a netlabel free download release of subtle, complex ambient music. Its approach is dark ambient with a minimal bent but whose scope and power are real and evocative. Caul does not answer for us the question of what God is not—or is. Caul challenges us as listeners to become involved in an indirect narrative, told in ambient sound. I enjoyed his storytelling very much, even as the story was without literal plot (other than a single, quickly explained word).
I recommend this album, from its subtle opening sounds to its near-choral interludes, from its satisfying deep drones to its unexpected shocks of unpredictable but never annoying electro-noise. I believe that the search for God lies in the spaces between the obvious truisms. Caul takes us to the musical equivalent of those spaces, to my delight. Nathan Larson's Darkwinter label has distinguished itself by releasing some wonderful dark ambient material. This album is no exception.
Available as a free download from Darkwinter
Review by gurdonark.
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