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Review by Bill Binkelman A recorded-live minimal ambient soundscape featuring didjeridu, vocals (wordless) and electronics, Tom Heasley's Desert Triptych is the sonic equivalent of journeying slowly through the desert southwest (hence the song titles "Joshua Tree," "Solitude," "29 Palms"). Using just voice, didjeridu, and electronic manipulations, Heasley paints a musical portrait of heat rising from the desert floor, the sun baking the soil, and the sparse vegetation hanging on despite the cruel environmental status. You can almost see the distortion at the horizon line as your vision blurs from the furnace-like temperature. Still, there is a beauty here as well, born of starkness and a delicate balance struck between the forces on earth and the cruel elements of the weather. Musically, the three tracks named above play more as one set piece, although the coming and going of the didjeridu breaks up the monotony. Still, I'd be lying if I said that this is an easy CD to "listen to" while just sitting or laying in bed. Not that it's anything but soothing, albeit in a somber way, but the relative static nature of the music (there are no beats nor discernible peaks or valleys to the drones and washes) makes it difficult to stay focused. One almost unconsciously feels one's mind start to wander as if in a heat-induced daze, which I would guess is intentional. As a background ambient recording, this may be less evocative, but it won't be as alluring either. You're basically caught between a rock and a hard place. "Joshua Tree" is "only" seventeen minutes long, while "Solitude" is nearly thirty minutes and "29 Palms" clocks in between twenty-one and twenty-two. At times throughout Desert Triptych, in particular during "Solitude," I was reminded of Ligeti's works that Kubrick used in 2001 such as "Lux Aeterna." There is a sadness that surfaces now and then on this CD, or at least a tangible melancholy. However, the more obvious emotional resonance is that of isolation, again an appropriate reaction given the subject matter. Technically, the recording is excellent, which is not a surprise when one realizes that Robert Rich mastered it in his Soundscape Productions studio. The electronic textures and drones, Heasley's vocals, and the swirling/buzzing hum of the didj are meticulously recorded and interweave perfectly on the CD. Trying to accurately detail the music itself is completely pointless, as the very nature of the pieces dictates that any description would be akin to describing clouds that are drifting across the sky in a constant state of flux. Vocals and didjeridu mesh and break apart, and the electronics hover underneath fleshing out the sound and giving it gravitas and depth. Sometime the overriding effect is, as mentioned above, like wavering heat rising from the desert floor and at other times the evocation is more abstract or ethereal. However, I seldom felt like this was a twilight recording. I always felt the presence of daylight and never got the impression that the soothing cool night air had infiltrated the landscape. Which is not to say this isn't mesmerizing, but there is a hint of oppression here as well. If drone-style ambient music is one of your loves, Desert Triptych should be on your "short list" of albums worth a look see. Just be sure to have a tall cold glass of water handy 'cause you just might need it. |
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