28 September 2010

Sublamp - wickerships (2010, Ahora Eterno)

Sublamp is project of Ryan Connor, living in Los Angeles and born in 1979, his parents are scientists working in national parks, so he developed a connection with nature which can be felt through his music.

Without using field recordings too directly or too obvious one, I can feel a connection with the kind of atmospheres someone like Chris Watson transcribes on record. In the sense that he is looking for a global perspective about his compositions instead of a simple human point of view. Comparisons can also be drawn with the works of Taylor Deupree except that Sublants is never outworld but profoundly inscribed as earthly.


Then arises the question to grasp "wickerships", his last release in an already large discography, as a new age record and the cheap artwork may induce this feeling even more. The promotional sheet even says "a trip towards an elemental region of human being" so the tag can't be avoided.

The artwork shows a forest under a strange yellow fog which blurs everything and in a similar way, it's difficult to know which instruments are playing because everything is processes, from field recordings to piano or guitars, the human presence is indeed hidden. The promotional sheet even adds "There are no melodies in this record" which is surprising too as it's an usual features of ambient or drone records.

His influences are obviously good, but it seems that he doesn't embody is own music, trying hard to paint in music memories of atmospheres. I pass through "wickerships" and if it's pleasant, nothing holds me here or impacts on me.

http://www.ahoraeterno.com.ar
http://shiver.sublamp.com/






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