(01.30.07)
RROOPP is a new London based independent label specialising in releasing
multi-CD artist compilations of singles tracks, out-of-print and
unreleased material. Their first release is a collection of tracks from
Leicestershire’s Jon Attwood recording under his usual moniker of Yellow
6. A one-time rock guitarist, Attwood is one of the most prolific and
respected artists in the ambient post-rock genre. The Beautiful Season
Has Past marks Attwood’s 50th release across more than 20 international
labels since he began recording in 1996. The material on this
compilation totals 40 tracks; 24 are deleted, out of print or otherwise
unavailable, 3 have never been released on CD and 10 more are previously
unreleased. The CDs themselves are lavishly packaged with appropriate
artwork marking the end of autumn and the onset of winter. Each CD comes
with its own carefully compiled booklet detailing the origin and
background for each track on the CD, adding some great insight into the
working methods, back catalogue and output of Attwood as Yellow 6.
As always with Attwood, his music is almost all instrumental and built
around various forms of processed guitar sounds with beats and
electronic manipulation. One of Attwood’s skills lies in the creation of
atmosphere, whether it is upbeat and energetic, downbeat and melancholy
or quietly introspective. Also showcased to some degree is his creative
process where tracks appear in numbered sequences representing
iterations of ideas and experiments conducted during the development of
a track, each variant often possessing a completely different mood,
feeling or emphasis to its counterparts. Not entirely post-rock and not
entirely electronic either, Attwood utilises electronic equipment as
backing, manipulates guitar sounds to form drones and adds his own
guitar playing to the mix to create soundscapes based around melody,
rhythm or texture, sometimes combining more elements as he sees fit.
This indicates that Attwood is not scared of pursuing an idea or new
approach to his music by working in new and different ways to see what
will be produced by pushing the boundaries of what he does. Some of the
alternate versions of tracks from his recording sessions never see the
light of day or sometimes show up on the self-released Merry6mas audio
Christmas cards he produces in limited quantities every year.
The first disc in this impressive collection gathers together an
assortment of single, compilation and a couple of unreleased tracks from
a range of labels and music publications. The opening track on this
disc, “Series1,” is part 1 of a 2-part series with Portal that saw each
submit an original track and then reinterpret each other’s work using
only a chord chart for guidance. The result is a soaring drum enhanced
track with an upbeat mood. This is followed by “Hold Up” and “Series2”
from a Bearos single which return to the more ambient, soundtrack
quality that Attwood is known for with “Series2” possessing a bright
retro indie guitar theme than it’s companion “Series1” earlier on the
disc. A superb unrushed mood of gentle ambience permeates “Summersend”
from a Rocket Racer 7″ boxset and continues through into “Leaving Time.”
Things start to take a more sinister turn with “Unknowing A” and
“Unknowing B,” both of which possess a heavier and denser quality by the
time which is exemplified further with “Onecertain #4.” The denser sound
is joined by layers of echoing guitar and the return of the driving
indie sound mentioned earlier on “The Room” before “Improvisation #1”
provides another beautifully melodic interlude. “One,” “Rain (Again)”
and “Depth” sit somewhere in the middle ground between the gentle
melodic qualities of “Summersend” and the heavy density of “Onecertain
#4.” Closing the first of the 3 discs is the lengthy “Normalize;” an
excellent track that skilfully combines both the light and heavier
aspects of Attwood’s music already experienced into an opus that opens
with gentle radiant tones and builds layers of droning texture over a
steady rhythmic beat, taking the music and listener on a journey as it
progresses.
The second disc in the collection draws tracks from just 2 sources; a
mini-LP called icanhearthemusicallaroundme which was the fourth release
in the Atom Series on Atomic Recordings back in May 1999 and an
unreleased album for Enraptured Records that was eventually superseded
by Attwood’s Overtone album. Five tracks from the Enraptured album are
featured in the second half of the CD and they are joined by a couple
more featured elsewhere in this collection that made it on to other
releases. The 6 tracks from icanhearthemusicallaroundme are split
between the gentle ambient side of Attwood’s music and the darker, more
rhythmic side. Half of the tracks (“N.Y.E.,” “Even” and “Icanhear”)
calmly drift along with gentle guitar melodies and a soft emotive
quality while the other half possess a certain sense of tension or
anxiety (“Cale,” “Self Distract” and “Light Dome II”). The one common
thread between all the tracks is the soundtrack-ish quality they all
possess. The Enraptured tracks are similar in content although the
gentler tracks seem more tranquil and the noisier segments tend to be
more aggressive with 1 or 2 tracks bridging the gap between the 2
extremes. “Color,” the first of the Enraptured tracks is entirely louder
than anything else on this disc and features wailing guitar, deep
throbbing bassy rhythms and swathes of droning guitar texture. In
complete contrast, and more in line with “Even” earlier on the disc,
“Delivery” and “Taught” are tranquil and completely relaxed. Sitting
somewhere in the middle ground is “Part 1;” a mainly ambient track with
urgent bursts of uneasy tension which only increase and become more
frequent as the disc progresses through “Sodium.” Finishing off the
sextuplet of tracks is “Red Velvet Box” which combines the bassy tones
of “Color” with the guitar melodies and drifting texture of “N.Y.E..”
Interestingly, the Enraptured tracks on this particular disc show an
interesting progression in style from fragile ambience through to tense
dark urgency but, although this is now somewhat inconsequential, they
are sequenced in such a way that this is not emphasised.
The third disc in the trio collects mostly vinyl single and compilation
tracks together along with a couple of bonus unreleased tracks. “Final
Piece A” and “Final Piece B” that open this disc are both compilation
tracks with a laidback ambient style and sombre soundtrack atmosphere.
“Naming Stars” is slightly more upbeat but maintains a similar air of
ambience, as does the unreleased “Object #1” that eventually winds down
with an adrenaline rush of rock ‘n’ roll style energy. Also included on
this disc are the tracks from Attwood’s debut 7″ single, “Perception
Received” and “Milestone” – both of which are rich in layered waves of
guitar to form a droning, swirling, rhythmic sense of urgency with
Attwood’s trademark ambient quality. The single track “Machine” and the
unreleased “La Cave” pick up where “Final Piece B” left off; dark
soundtrack-like atmospheres, the latter being especially dark with the
guitar creating an ominous church bell type toll. The dark sombre mood
continues through “Amber,” a track taken from Attwood’s annual Merry6mas
CDR from 2001. Of the remaining tracks, “(The First) Of Winter,” “Grey
#5″ and “Expressway427” are in keeping with the trademark Yellow 6
sound, ambient with Attwood’s own brand of calm, drifting texture and
atmospheric guitar accompaniment. The end result is a fluid aural
soundscape with a sombre but serene mood.
The Beautiful Season Has Past acts as worthy introduction to those who
are new to Attwood’s music as Yellow 6 but also fills gaps in the
collection of those familiar with his work as it includes the several
unreleased bonus tracks. The whole set is packaged wonderfully and the
sleeve notes are comprehensive and informative. If you have ever
wondered what Yellow 6 sounds like or just had a passing interest in his
work, The Beautiful Season Has Past is an excellent starting point. Even
if you are well-versed in Attwood’s output and have been seeking out his
more obscure releases for years, this compilation still has plenty to
offer you. It is also very competitively priced so you can’t go wrong.
The Beautiful Season Has Past is out now on RROOPP. Buy it at yellow6.com.
