I am fond of reading, whether novels, non-fiction books, the daily newspaper, magazines or music reviews. How empty life would be without being able to read (of course the same applies to listening and music). However, I never managed to convert what I read into my own, pleasing language. I lack the imagination, the feeling, the stamina... I've been writing a diary for years and have now started doing it again digitally, but mostly there are only a few short sentences. I prefer to let the pictures do the talking, or found passages from books and newspapers that encourage me to think about things. And yet, through regular writing, here too, I hope one day to find a way to express myself appropriately. As long as I will quote a lot here in this blog and share what others have expressed much better before me.
The last post about Jon Tye and Ocean Moon / Lo Recordings also brought the memories of Rothko back to my consciousness a little more. If you enter the name Rothko into Google, you will first find entries with the well-known Russian-American painter. A detailed entry can simplify things. Founded by Mark Beazley in 1997 with a changing line-up, the band came into the living room at home two years later through plays with John Peel.
A new listening experience because the band initially had 3 (!) bass players to give their sound an incredible amount of substance. The period around Millennium was also the end of a musical drought period. While the years 1989-1994 were characterized by an incredible diversity, so much music to be discovered that was created precisely during this time, the following 4-5 years were more of a disorientated time when it came to music. I tried to find what I was looking for in many genres and to find the feeling of the first years since my arrival in the “West”. In 1995 & 1996 I partially managed this when I first threw myself into the Neo Dub scene with Zion Train, Disciples, Bush Chemists and others and subsequently into the original old Dub albums from the seventies. But then I don't remember anything that left a lasting impression, until suddenly there was exciting music again like Piano Magic, Isan, Labradford or Rothko and many others. I described how I came across their first album in the last post.
After three albums on Lo recordings (& two others), “A Continual Search of Origins” was the first (& only) album for Too Pure. The album was released in 2002 and 15 (!) years later I exchanged some thoughts on Facebook with Mark, who is a very approachable and thoughtful musician. The album is based on field recordings that he made on a trip to Switzerland in a small, enchanted and little-known place called Origlio. At the time of our exchange, he had visited this place again after a long time. The band's music is usually described as post rock, for me “Continual Search ....” was a special ambient album. An assessment that Mark didn't necessarily want to follow:
„I'm not sure if it's ambient or not, I had the recordings I made in Switzerland and the album grew around that. I never start any record considering what genre it will be, I generally don't like to put things in boxes, but everyone has their own idea of what the music is or what genre to apply, so, it's all ok either way. But, one thing is certain, and that is I hope my music doesn't fit comfortably into any box. I started going to Switzerland, and Origlio in particular, when I was 29 or 30...so, 24 years ago, and in fact, I have just recently returned from their again. It is a magical and peaceful place, no one really knows anything about it or where it is, so, it's perfect in that way. I count myself to be incredibly fortunate to be able to stay there once every few years.“
The album was described quite well by Olga Sladeckova from Pennyblackmusic:
„Look back into your past and think. Lots of things happen in our lives. Every little thing can change something for good or bad. I have personally found that we tend to not to see the good things that happen to us and take them for granted a lot of the time. Bad things seem much easier to see somehow. Sometimes they can be devastating.
But bad things happening can also end up in something good evolving from them. Everything that happens influences our future. Sometimes we don't know how we come to something that
has changed our lives and then we look back and realize that something very little had done that. You can look back at those things and just be grateful that they happened. I certainly do.
‚Continual Search For Origins’ is Rothko, the London based band's 6th album, and the first one to be released by the group on Too Pure records. The band features Mark Beazley (bass guitar and other instruments) as its core musician, who has on this album collaborated with musicians from the avant-garde group Delicate AWOL.
For the main theme of 'Continual Search for Origins', Mark has used the memories of his holidays in the small village of Origlio in Switzerland, and capturing some of the original sounds that he recorded there including rain, crickets, and church bells, has built music around them.
The whole of this Swiss memories trip is started with ‘On The Day We Said Goodbye’ upon which guest vocalist Caroline Ross's voice is backed by cautious but passionate strums of Mark's bass guitar. In the background of the song you can also hear voices of some of the Origlio villagers that Mark had the chance to record.
‘St. Georgio’, named after the church in Origlio village, features the ringing of bells. The following ‘Memories Of Zurich’ is darker in tone and combines the mysterious sound of Mark's bass with a piano. It feels like night time by the time you get to the next track ‘I Sense You Fading Away’ upon which a trumpet spreading across the darkness is broken up by the noise of a helicopter.
Rothko’s music is full of various sounds and noises laid one over another to create a music collage. Every single one is then exposed to your attention and gives the sound its own characteristic intensity before the following one crosses it.
The last song titled ‘Words Melt Away’ closes the album , as it was opened, with Ross's vocals. The music, however, already does the talking more then well enough across the whole album.
I taped the CD very shortly after I got hold of it and played it on a walkman. Walking down a busy road in the rain and listening to it, I became lost in it. I was amazed at how convincing the music was and how it took me away from that road and out of my surroundings. I believe that it can help you to find an escape as well.“
Listen and enjoy!
(Unfortunately the album is missing from the Rothko Bandcamp page, but it's worth discovering!)
https://www.discogs.com/master/48682-Rothko-A-Continual-Search-For-Origins
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