Reviews - “Mantle”

“Mantle” reviewed by someone at The Wire who apparently just didn’t get it- (likely wondering “who is Steve Roach?”).  In any case, their honesty is appreciated!

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Have you ever sought to replicate the feeling of spelunking through the alluring slot canyons of Utah—but from the comfort of your own home? Now you can. Sort of.

The latest release from local electronic artist Brian Parnham is meant to take listeners on “an auditory spelunking adventure.” In Parnham’s own words, the project provides an audible illustration of “the hypnagogic realm—that blurred, surreal zone somewhere between the conscious and subconscious state.”

Produced by ambient artist Steve Roach, the CD is devoid of identifiable beats or rhythms, but includes a subtle swell of instrumentation that creates a dense but somewhat monotonous soundscape. Parnham used analog synthesizers, guitar, didgeridoo, clay pots and a variety of percussion instruments to construct 74 uninterrupted minutes of ambient noise. Eerie and hypnotic, the disc is bound to put you in a meditative state of mind—if you listen long enough.

But, unless you’re planning to drift into a deep sleep and wander through a dream world of Earth’s cavernous innards, you just might lose interest.

Inspired by solitary sojourns into the deserts and canyons of Utah, the album essentially sounds like a prolonged cut of an electronic interlude between Radiohead songs on “Kid A.” While new embellishments occasionally enter the picture, creating sounds that evoke visions of water dripping from stalactites or bats flitting their wings, the overall drone features little variation. You can become mesmerized by the whirring din for minutes at a time, then glance at your CD player to discover that two or three tracks have elapsed. You wonder: When’d the last song end and the next one begin?

 

Surely, the general monotony is partially deliberate. The 12-track CD is designed, after all, to induce a relaxed, meditative state, and it certainly succeeds.

Released on Floating Point Records, “Mantle” is Parnham’s third full-length album. For more information or to purchase the disc, visit www.brianparnham.com.

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