Description
Recorded at AirSculpture’s Eurosonic festival gig in Sweden. Everything AirSculpture plays is improvised, this is 100 % unique music inspired by the moment not just live versions of already available material. In fact there is very little difference between an AirSculpture studio album and a live one. The music is created spontaneously whether it is in front of an audience or not. Many people including other musicians refuse to believe this however such in the quality of the music and almost telepathic understanding between the three band members. AirSculpture create a music that is inspired by the mid to late seventies analogue sequencer pioneers but this is not copyist, there is a big difference between being influenced by something and plagiarism. The title track drifts into your consciousness and images are created of a cold sun rising above the mountains to shine on mist covered water. For AirSculpture this is extremely delicate stuff more beautiful than dark, probably inspired by the location of the gig, an island in the middle of a lake. At three and a half minutes more typical AirSculpture type cosmic effects start to bubble to the surface but peace and tranquillity are still the dominant images. A gossamer melody warbles forth at the seven minute mark. The first sequence begins to build and rumbles forward, the underlying sounds would not have been out of place on ‘Sorcerer’ or ‘Encore’. From the delicate start we are now moving into darker territory. The sequence mutates and distorts. The lead lines compliment the sequences superbly becoming very mean and menacing. Another absolutely brilliant sequence is thrown in to the brew. There now seems to be three sequences side by side- brilliant, just bloody brilliant! Things then quieten down and you will think we are winding down towards the end but no, the sequences come back for more only dying away as the track fades out. The Sculpture boys’ sense of humour strikes again for ‘Traditional Folk Music’, as we are instantly plunged into a vast grating metallic hiss at top volume accompanied by all sorts of industrial sounds. Things then calm down amongst a backdrop of well out there cosmic effects. This is very descriptive space music but in their region of the cosmos we don’t get gentle floating pads, oh no! Solar flares, explosions and plasma storms are more the order of the day. When some semblance of order does appear the music that results reminded me very much of TD’s ‘Alpha Centauri’, the organ sound being particularly effective but not over used. Just when you think that this is going to be one of AirSculpture’s atmospheric interludes up steps a high register sequence and as usual it really hits the spot, twisting and turning all the time. If this is traditional folk music then I think I’ll take up Morris Dancing. ‘Gloria Mundi’ wastes no time in getting into a slow deep bass sequence, very moody stuff. The temptation to clutter things with layer after layer of atmospherics is resisted and plenty of space is given, making the melodies and carefully chosen effects stand out even more and giving them greater impact that would otherwise have been the case. Drums are introduced at six minutes but mutate into a snapping sequence only to go through more metamorphosis to change back into a drum sound. The sequence / drum keeps changing between the two sounds and very effective it all is too. Things are then stripped down to a very moody rhythm which fades into a swamp of drones and vicious effects which get even moodier right up to the end. My favourite AirSculpture album ever. The sequences are of course superb put the lead lines that accompany them are better than ever before and the atmospherics reach new heights of descriptive power. Absolutely fantastic. (DL) ;\ ‘\’
