This is art, something to listen to, not something for just relaxing or for exercising, or sleeping. This is a compelling listen because the darnedest things happen, sometimes over and over, sometimes in an asymmetrical way. From A Harbour Softly Drawn & Andrew Wild, is the inaugural release from newly established Glasgow-based experimental label, 4th Ward Private Press.
A salve for those early mornings and heady nights
Very strange sounds in your choice of Record/Vinyl + Digital Album, from two very different unrelated artists who have somehow been paired, one is suspenseful with some almost predictable structure, the other is restless and full of surprises. From A Harbour Softly Drawn is a new project from Scottish musician Fraser McGowan. Expanding upon McGowan’s explorations of textural, slowly evolving ambience under the Caught In The Wake Forever moniker, as developed through releases on the Archives, Dronarivm, and Fluid Audio labels, “Blank Spots” is a warm, meditative mix of drifting synthesizers, abstracted guitars and flickering modular electronics. A salve for those early mornings and heady nights, “Blank Spots” provides eighteen minutes of zoned-out, blanketed bliss.
I hear some quiet humming that emerges into an orchestral glowing, sustained tones, some squeaking or creaking almost makes a beat. Then the humming grows, the orchestra glows, some new sounds take hold. From A Harbour Softly Drawn “Blank Spots” (18:23). Looking at the cover art, there are three main textures in a structural frame, buttery beige and gray and pebbled. The sounds are similarly arranged, the presence continues to expand, always keeping the main themes constant and always something new emerging on top of the presence. This is a slow arrival of big boats.
Things get more dense and a melodic cycle spins along quietly, I hear clicks and pops almost make a pattern, the sound of a scratch on a physical vinyl recording, that should be interesting to hear on actual vinyl. The rhythm could work in many ways, from a contrasting pattern to a merging pattern. The range of sounds makes everything important, it changes quickly sometimes. This is art, something to listen to, not something for just relaxing or for exercising, or sleeping. This is a compelling listen because the darnedest things happen, sometimes over and over, sometimes in an asymmetrical way.
A collage of harsh sounds ::
The flip side of this split 12” presents a new sound-based work from West Yorkshire-based artist, and curator of the Crow Versus Crow label, Andrew Wild. What I heard in there for a brief moment is a collage of harsh sounds, people talking on the radio probably in Scandinavia somewhere, Andrew Wild “TEKEL (Seven Sisters)” (17:24). Produced in correlation to Wild’s visual artwork, “TEKEL (Seven Sisters)” is a collage-like composition of field recordings and non-instrumental improvisations recorded using a Zoom H2 hand-held recorder, taken in Sowerby Bridge (West Yorkshire), Rochdale (Greater Manchester) and Reykjavik (Iceland) between 2016 and 2018. Cut and spliced together without any processing, effects or sonic treatment, “TEKEL (Seven Sisters)” is a delicately layered, tactile work of scenic vignettes that explores ideas of Place and aesthetic response to Matter. Now since these two tracks are together it is only natural to compare, the Harbour Softly Drawn is very quiet and subtle, “TEKEL” has a wide range of more insistent noises, is that a balloon being rubbed? There are birds twittering and the density of sound sustains the textures.
“TEKEL” is the busy track, the other track is more sparse, always restless, kinetic. I think I hear something is being rendered, crushed and pulled apart while the balloon is being punished. Now a machine of some sort is angry but it abruptly disappears and the balloon is gleeful. Now like a chicken, I think there are chickens in there too. Now there is a hesitant door swinging fast and slow, groaning and then squeaking as it flaps and the balloon clucks are worried.
Now an explosion suddenly blasts us away for a long painful moment, it holds on and hurts a bit, which makes the remaining peace so much more welcome finishing the track. Those changes keep coming. Something is coming closer, bubbles and rattles and I think I hear an actual chicken, yes, and the balloon is still worried.
Then the radio comes along and the whole thing transforms again, and ends with a bitter buzz, but in the concluding moments, the balloon survives. Now I am thinking that there may never have been chickens, the balloon is not talking now.
From A Harbour Softly Drawn & Andrew Wild is released as a limited-edition of 100 vinyl records and digital download. The vinyl edition is pressed on 180 gram 12” black vinyl, held in a black poly-lined sleeve, and housed in a 320gsm full-color printed card sleeve, featuring photography by Andrew Wild. This release was mastered for vinyl by Taylor Deupree.
From A Harbour Softly Drawn & Andrew Wild, is the inaugural release from newly established Glasgow-based experimental label, 4th Ward Private Press.
From A Harbour Softly Drawn & Andrew Wild is available on 4th Ward Private Press. [Bandcamp]
