I the Storm is by Simon McCorry who is well known as a remarkable cellist and sound-sculptor of ambiguous environments. Here are four extended tracks of cello-toned sculptures.
A remarkable cellist and sound-sculptor of ambiguous environments
We can find ourselves in the eye of a storm, as that storm could well be within us. I the Storm is by Simon McCorry who is well known as a remarkable cellist and sound-sculptor of ambiguous environments. Here are four extended tracks of cello-toned sculptures.
Tragedy is one of the oldest themes or topics for human artistic expression, this album takes us to the center of that kind of storm. The mood is beautifully melancholic. “The Earth’s Sorrow for All Things That Pass” (14:00) is a glowing golden meditation on life passing, the layers build up gently reflecting immense gloom and with the title suggest coping with loss and taking on huge entropic dimensions. I like sad strings, the music starts nice and simple, and steadily gains new properties, strength emerges slowly revealing resilience and growing power. The sorrow is a calm ocean. Now we are slowly healing and quieting a bit, remembering all things must pass, and these things take a long time. The misery is not overwhelming but it is clear, I hear several instruments weeping (all cello), “Misericordia” (11:17) brings layers of slow sad bowed cello instruments, somber tones and slow brooding, some new cello voices awaken and cry out, I love the whistling bow sounds which bring out the high pitched harmonic tones, or are they the sounds of a distant wolf baying? Through the slow journey the mood stays perfectly miserable and sad which provokes natural fascination. Just how sad can it get? Now slowly fade into the hall of mirrors.
Now slowly fade into the hall of mirrors ::
One lonely bowed instrument, standing bravely against the darkness, “These Scalding Tears” (7:48) again the listener is taken in fully by the sorrow, coaxing the building melodic statements out of the weeping layers and repeated phrases. Now cry, cry, cry. The emotion sometimes builds into a wail, always calming into a sort of still sorrow, bringing many cello voices to come together for the finish.
The final track starts deep, bowed note then silence and starts again, “The Ever-Evolving Reflecting Mirror” (16:54) takes us to where slow is the feeling, slow and deep, into an ever growing garden of sounding voices. Now the voices are interacting and responding to each other, the density is carefully kept thin in all this heavy sorrow. To me the title of this track does not invoke lamentations but the tone matches the whole album, where classical sorrow reigns.
This is McCorry’s third release on See Blue Audio. The title track was created for a short film featuring Japanese contemporary dance artist Satoko Fukuda, so I the Storm began its life in the theatre. The album is also the forty-fifth release of the See Blue Audio imprint.
