| Artist: The Glimmer Room Album: Grey Mirrors Released: September 2004 |   |
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It is not until after a few encounters with Grey Mirrors (42'24") by The Glimmer Room (a.k.a. Andy Condon), that it becomes possible to grasp this album's narrative thread. At first this continuous piece might seem vague, but careful listening yields insight into what is actually a cohesive, well-crafted suite of music. Each movement is so intertwined with those surrounding it that it is difficult to experience any one to its fullest in the absence of its neighbor. The passages and themes on Grey Mirrors blur between indistinct boundaries. The transitions between sonic forms and atmospheres (the somber and the playful, overcast and shining, synthetic and organic) unifies this multi-faceted and highly conceptualized work. The album opens by placing the listener in an idyllic countryside. The mood brightens considerably as crisp digital tones dance above the environmental field recordings. Elsewhere, in a darker region of this work, a cerebral atonal terrain gathers, menaces and dissipates into lilting melodies, heart-rending harmonies and infectious rhythms. As the power of building beats leaves the listener breathless, the work runs headlong towards a methodical dismantlement; cooling the tone and exposing a pulsing foundation. There is drama in this music, felt partly through dynamic swings between negative space and motifs of high relief. Grey Mirrors feels shorter and tighter with each spin. With this familiarity comes a sense of depth and understanding - and the faint reflection of the artist.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 9 December 2004 | |
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