Wil Bolton :: Rusted in the Salt Air (Home Normal)

Rusted in the Salt Air is a deeply atmospheric sonic journey that blends natural field recordings from the windswept Suffolk coast with lush, slow-burning electronic textures created using vintage synthesizers and spring reverb. Inspired by the haunting landscapes of Orford Ness and the literary reflections in Sebald’s Rings of Saturn, the album evokes themes of decay, memory, and transformation through immersive soundscapes rich with birdsong, wave wash, and ghostly drones.

Waves, wires, winds, and memory

Rusted in the Salt Air suggests an idyllic walk through the reedbed and the coastal lagoons, into the heathland and vegetated shingle. Shingle beaches are made up of different sized pebbles, and are often subject to strong winds and waves. They are constantly shifting, and this place makes a sound of its own, like no other sound. Alongside these natural field recordings are tones from Buchla 100, Buchla 200, Serge, Erica SYNTRX and Nord Wave synthesizers and AKG BX20 spring reverb recorded at EMS (Elektronmusikstudion), in Stockholm.

I hear a rich variety of interesting little things happening in a smooth warm drone of electronica and field textures. I learned that Rusted in the Salt Air takes its title from a description of Orford Ness in Winfried Georg Sebald’s Rings of Saturn,  a 1995 novel that combines elements of fiction, travelogue, and memoir. The narrative follows a walking tour of Suffolk, England, where we reflect on various historical and literary themes, including the decay of civilizations and the passage of time, blending personal experiences with historical anecdotes, and explores profound themes such as memory, identity, and the impact of history on contemporary life.

The listening experience features environmental sounds, radio waves and found objects recorded and collected in the harsh coastal environment of the Suffolk coast. My intention is to use this focused listening opportunity to just sit still, resting, taking some time to listen, imagining the coastal landscape and connection to the North Sea. The mix includes the actual sound of insects in the reed beds and birdsong over the salt marshes and mudflats in Iken, dried-up plants rustling in the wind outside the abandoned atomic weapons research centre in Orford Ness, and sea waves beside the decommissioned nuclear power station at Sizewell, abandoned places on the North Sea coast, World War II anti-tank blocks in Minsmere, a home to over 5,800 different species of wildlife.

Time dissolves along the coast ::

Now we are just easing into the bog, establishing a delicate atmosphere, opening with a slow widening morning atmosphere, rich with possibilities, “The Reed Beds Shimmered” (6:08), blends with kind of an organ sound, like a church cathedral, mostly long sustained tones amidst fragments of melodies in slow motion, birds mingle within a bowed drone buzz. I swear there is a whole hidden orchestra of instruments, perhaps a marimba, creating a wonderful dark slow motion drama with birdsong that comes and goes. The tones breathe in and out slowly back and forth, the birds get the last bit. “Longshore Drift” (5:26) opens into sparse spooky electronica, the sound of the waves coming in establishes ominous dark unseen motion in the background at times, overall a long slow drone low tone spreading out into the void, through a long sustained tone, bowed and electronic layers, something is creeping along buzzing and flowing through plucked strings and warm buzzing sounds which slowly builds, restlessly and then fades into the mists.

 

“Ghost Signals” (3:58) brings out lots of strange night sounds out there rising and falling and rising again on and on, drones buzz in slowly, Martians call from above, the ghost is behind you right now, a low slow buzzing comes into form, I feel a perfect slow absorption into restful stillness, not dead. “Heather and Gorse” (6:12) releases more bird morning songs with those warm drones exercising and reaching upwards, sustained sparse tones, layers of colors grow lighter and rise. I love the marimba tones noodling, easy breezy, soft floating and dreamy, always keeping a slow moving chimeratic groove, now a warm rush is flowing and sustaining various instruments. I continue to return, to get lost in here.

In my inner cinema, the tension gradually grows until the crowd in the train screams as they fly past, hordes of  odd little creatures signifying, or maybe just conspiring out there where we cannot see them. This “Reactor Dome Haze” (6:57) gets me buzzing and dancing a perky tempo, out of the fog and mists, textures of wood pieces tumbling,  like wind or look out, there goes the scream again diving past like more rollercoaster crowd scream sounds whooshing as they pass by and again. Maybe something is trying to get in. Along comes a melodic sequencer and we release our breath like snowflakes dancing in the breeze. I hear mostly slow buzzing harmonics and electronic sounds in a slow mood. I hear the crowd screaming again and hope that they will be back.

Until the last chatter finally fades out ::

Here the gulls do not fly away, they want more. “Under an Azure Sky” (5:57) echoes with seagulls laughing, wandering tones where natural textures are fondled and explored, playful keyboard drone tones sustain, relaxing waving slowly up in the sky, calling their long sustained tones up there. You know how seagulls laugh in that collective way, until the last chatter finally fades out.

Summoning the last track, I am underwater in the near darkness, still just sitting still and resting, watching the way the light changes and flickers sometimes. We are definitely underwater but nicely illuminated. “Samphire and Sea Lavender” (8:25) settles the slow back and forth of the vision of the deep runs constantly. Things come and go, this will wash over and smooth the way to sleepytown. Some more of those birds are making strange noises, giggling and calling, moving slowly through the deep, I hear different kinds of underwater birds chanting and singing. Everything is coming to a stop as the strings slowly emerge with drone grooves, and those birds lightly gibbering and cooing. A rising long sustained tone takes the floor, mostly staying solid as new elements ease in and out as the song evolves as easily and soothing as underwater bird calls.

Written and recorded by Wil Bolton
Cover art by Wil Bolton
Mastered by Ian Hawgood

Rusted in the Salt Air is available on Home Normal. [Bandcamp]