Every
so often an unsuspecting piece of music graces our reference system
which leaves us numb. The appropriately titled `Golden' by Marsen
Jules (aka Martin Juhls) is one such album. Out on genesungswerk,
a wonderful German label with a keen sense of attention to detail
(not just in their artists but in their packaging), `Golden' is
Jules' fourth album following on from album releases on Autoplate
and City Centre Offices.
`Golden'
features sumptuously twitching and densely produced electronica,
highly involving and gloriously warm textures, impressive and
totally captivating melodies and a meandering succession of moods
which shifts delicately from darkly ominous tones to angelic white-light.
It is clear that Jules understands the art of layering and arrangement
and as such, he doesn't fall in the trap of formulaic structure
and hurried sonic deliberations. Neither does he lose his sound
in an amorphous heap of unemotional and meaningless meanderings.
The sound on `Golden' is very much focused and time-bound, and
the album is designed to be played in a whole sitting which consists
of 7 movements taking 44 mins.
The
opener, track 1, `Birkengeflüster' launches the listener
into a disorientated state of mind through unleashing sonic waves
of repetitive instrument clusters (natural and processed) which
may be influenced by Terry Riley or Steve Reich's repetition pieces.
Gorgeous wafts of instrumentation consisting of natural guitar
and acoustic piano float on the surface, generating a hazy feel
which seeps into the listener's mindset. The subtle yet `bubbling
under the surface' industrial landscape generated by track 2,
`Während' paves the way for track 3, `Golden', a cleverly
arranged and playful ménage of emotionally drenched piano
keys, bass heavy reverb and bursts of tightly clustered electronica.
Track
5 `An einem Wintermorgen' sees the remit of piano and acoustic
guitar expanded to reveal a meandering and relatively full bodied
melody which is deeply rooted in the dark eclectic Americana of
`Ralph Towner'. This sound is wonderfully complimented by subtle
and sparkling shards of electronic sounds which create a dreamy
sense of time as illusion.
As track 6 `Von hier nach dort' approaches, it feels like the
gates have been opened upon a large, mystic and richly populated
landscape. New instruments join the fray resulting in increased
layers, more complex arrangements and a full bodied sense of `grandeur'.
Again time is suspended as Jules delves deeper into the darkness
and creates an eerie yet lush atmosphere which constantly threatens
the light with dark. Twanging acoustic guitar and shimmering keys
synergise proceedings by creating a welcome sense of intimacy
which all in all creates a fantastic listeners experience.
The
album closes on the 8 minute `Contenance' which starts off with
intermittent bass releases and is then accompanied by natural
and manipulated lush guitar strings which drip in liquid disquiet.
What follows is the apex of everything Jules sought to create
with `Golden'. Natural instruments and electronically processed
sounds unite and flutter around each other, egging each other
on to create a increasingly tense atmosphere with a foreboding
yet euphoric tone. To the less well versed, this could be described
as sounding like a more complex UNKLE soundscape circa Never Never
Land. For over a minute the tense momentum pursues and Jules could
have elected to use this moment as a launch pad into a Venetian
Snares-esque destruction sequence. Instead however the track peters
out leaving the listener on an audio-high.
Ultimately
`Golden' is a highly successful and difficult-to-create exercise
of fusing the natural with the manipulated. Jules succeeds in
combining the elements to create an other-worldly, ethereal soundscape
which is richly composed and thoroughly engaging. The overall
effect is like being transported to the after life where your
disorientation propels you into a state of mind where you can
only experience true warmth and pure emotional bliss.
For
fans of: Murcof, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Steven Reich
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