„…between…“ | Robin Parmar & David Colohan
GrDl 135 | Gruen Digital > [order]
MP3 & FLAC
Places are made real as we encounter them, through our physical presence, memories, and imagination. This album was created using location recordings and the timbres of musical instruments. These have been transformed into landscapes that are perhaps as fictive as they are real. Birds eat bread from a frost-covered wall. Trains rattle over bridges in the centre of London. A mysterious drone sounds out in rural Ireland. Someone throws stones into a stream. A police siren plays a duet with a piano.
„…between…“ is a collaboration between Robin Parmar and David Colohan, artists based in Ireland.
01 hilltop, surrounded by the city
02 mornings in the café
03 trains seem slower from London streets
04 birds eating bread from a frost-covered wall
05 breath that travels from one place to another
06 …between…
07 breath that travels from another place to this
08 the cat dreams of the coming storm
09 region of quietude
10 phase space timbral transform
Excerpts:
10 Tracks (54′15″)
Location recordings and instrumentation by David Colohan & Robin Parmar.
Photography, design, and production by Robin Parmar.
Typeface by Manfred Klein.
Compositions (c) 2013 Robin Parmar except track 1
(c) 2013 David Colohan and Robin Parmar.
Sound Art Series by Gruenrekorder
Gruenrekorder / Germany / 2014 / GrDl 135 / LC 09488
Hal Harmon | Musique Machine
On “…between…”, Parmar & Colohan offer up 10 thought-provoking, sonic excursions. The tracks incorporate and meld various sounds and techniques, relying predominantly on field recordings, electro-acoustic manipulations, ambient drone, and some solid (though often subtle) instrumentation. This blending of techniques is exemplified by the opening track, “Hilltop, Surrounded by the City.” Beautifully played piano and an undefinable ambient sound, mingle with wildlife recordings, to create a track that is equally majestic and meditative.
The song titles themselves often clue in listeners to the source or setting of the tracks as they unfold. As the title implies, “Mornings in the Cafe” offers a quick glimpse into the bustling life of a morning eatery. The track is almost straight field recording, but with some twists and bends to manipulate the raw sounds. Other tracks such as, “Birds Eating Bread From a Frost-Covered Wall” and “Trains Seem Slower From London Streets” further explore minimally manipulated field recordings.
Perhaps my favorite track on the disc is “The Cat Dreams of the Coming Storm.” Over 5:19 minutes, storm and rain recordings collide with forcefully played piano. It’s a rather eerie piece and kind of sticks out to me from the rest of the disc. The final tracks “Region of Quietude” and “Phase Space Timbral Transform” once again mix instrumentation with field recordings. The former track incorporates strings with a harmonium-like sound, while the latter presents a droning instrument not unlike a Tibetan singing bowl.
It goes without saying, as with all Gruenrekorder release, the recordling quality is excellent.
I’ve had a really good history with Gruenrekorder and always look forward to their releases with delight. “…between…” is no exception. Parmar & Colohan have created ten skillfully crafted pieces to accompany you through life’s mundanities and then transport you to the ethereal realms.
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