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Each of the two CDs in the double disc set Emissaries by Radio Massacre Internationall, presents a distinctive facet of this interesting trio of English Spacemusicians. Disc 1: "The Emissaries Suite" (59'58") is essentially a studio album. While the music on this disc feels more arranged and composed than the group's live concert albums, RMI's freewheeling style is ever present. The pieces unfold, expand and recede as if in a rehearsed jam session rather than a clinical/critical studio project. The keystone supporting this music is Duncan Goddard's sequencer patterns. Multiple sets of cycling synthesizer tones dance, skip and echo through minor key scales, running full-tilt like a runaway train. Goddard's efforts to keep this affair on the tracks are supported by Steve Dinsdale and the harmonic and melodic pads and solos he creates out of vintage Mellotron strings, flutes, choirs and horns, and the blue-eyed soul of guitarist Gary Houghton's poignant leads and imaginative effects. Disc 2: "Ancillary Blooms" (76'26") is a live album recorded on the 05.09.04 broadcast of STAR'S END. The two one hour sets were edited down so as to fit on this CD, and flow along a subtle spatial arc suitable for late-night listening. Within this setting the sonic inventions are more discovered than composed as the trio tends to explore areas of texture and mood. The ensuing musical themes grew out of an improvisational interaction that could not have been planned, nor repeated. When it comes to playing music under these conditions, RMI call on their instincts. With very little in the way of direct communication, they produce complex atmospheric realizations. Perhaps their most significant insight lies not in this music's technology, but in understanding that it exists over time and that each live performance is an opportunity to participate in a singular and completely unique experience.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 26 May 2005 |
