 |
||||
|
|
|||
|
Dene Bebbington
Melliflua |
|
||
|
||||
|
Matthew Florianz's eleventh release Niemandsland (translated from Dutch as “no-man's-land”) was born back in 2003. Eventually pared down from over six hours of recordings it's a fusion of environmental found sounds with deep and thoughtful drones. The environmental sounds, which predominate in some places, make this a departure from Matthew's other recent albums which were based on synthesised drones. An odd start to the album is made in the half-minute track “Stilte” that is nothing but silence. Incidentally, one aspect this album shares with the recent The Tone T(h)ree is that its recorded at a lower level than normal and so you may need to crank the volume up to appreciate all the sonic nuances. The second short track “Snoei” sounds mostly like environmental recordings with what could be the droney roar of traffic and the buzz of a chainsaw. What Matthew does well from this early point onwards is leave the listener guessing as to which are actually synthesised drones and which are the “real” sounds. Much of the album has a disquieting quality, it's like perceiving the aural world as often being rather dark and oppressive – which a lot of noise pollution is. Imagine you can't see so your hearing becomes more acute, in some ways listening to Niemandsland is like experiencing the world in those terms. For me the final track “Thuis” is the most pleasant. We hear the sound of birds cawing and singing, what could be distant water, planes flying overhead, and other human activity such as footsteps and cars. It brought to mind a relaxing day in a park where one can appreciate nature but not forget that the modern world isn't far away. Towards the end the soundscape becomes artificial as lonely drones slowly fade away. On reflection I'd have to say that Niemandsland is the least accessible of Matthew's albums that I've heard so far. What I found particularly interesting though is how it can be difficult, if not impossible, in places to discern the synthesised drones from the environmental recordings. Intense listening to pick out the details and subtleties can be rewarding. |
|
|
||
|
||||
