Creating mood and atmosphere out of a collection of sound sources as varied as birds, children playing, and chimes, is not easy. Thankfully, we have Cindytalk to take care of that. Twisting all of these sources and more into a subtle soft-edged Polaroid of sound, Gordon Sharp and the late Matt Kinnison create a dizzying abstract of an astounding kind.
‘How Soon Now….’ begins innocently, with the chattering of children giving way to chimes and bells ringing out amidst a cavernous bass texture. Subtle clips of children’s voices slip in and out, as everything begins to feel like a fractured memory of time gone by. After the brief solo piano interlude of ‘On the Tip of My Tongue’, ‘In Dust to Delight’ mixes machinery with the throbbing blend of synth and texture, mixing to create a tension not unlike a dark room in an unfamiliar house. Shimmering mirages of sound bend and weave in and out of one another, as you could almost imagine the sound to appear in front of your eyes like a hazy distortion of light and colours. The piano makes a return on ‘Walking in the Snow’, delicately picking its way through a sparse melody. ‘Hanging In The Air’ has blasts of static lancing out amongst, of all things, the recording of sparrows, chirping and flittering away. Quite a juxtaposition. ‘Floating Clouds’ bends chime like tones with no beginning or end into a continuous whole of melting waves and sinous billows of tone, while ‘I See You Uncovered’ witnesses the final visitation of the lone piano, this time room miked and reflective, evoking retrospect. Closer ‘…Until We Disappear’ open with the piano which gradually melts into a variant texture of the opening piece, bringing the edition back to it’s beginning, and finalising it in a most fitting manner.
A lot can be said about creating mood utilizing such disparate sources, but when it comes to actually pulling it off, it’s a fair bit more difficult than one could imagine. When describing this album, it feels more apt to call it a collection of colours, moods and textures, as opposed to a group of songs. Quite recommended.
Nick Giles
