Lawrence English – Observation of Breath / A Mirror Holds the Sky (2021)



Review:
Observation of Breath: ‘Observation of Breath’ is a patient, meditative album that continues English’s obsession with organ sounds. He’s been using the instrument for years now – his standout albums “Cruel Optimism” and “Wilderness of Mirrors” were shaped by the pipe organ – but has only recently began to experiment with the instrument’s naked tones. Last year’s “Lassitude” was composed using a 19th century Australian organ housed in Brisbane’s Old Museum. “Observation of Breath” picks up where that record left off, eschewing the processed drones of its weighty predecessor to offer a more sacred set of sounds. In fact, the processing English uses here is subtle – he lets the familiar groan of the organ take pride of place in the compositions, playing slowly but assuredly. ‘The Torso’ is the most abstract of the four pieces, with whooshing air taking up almost as much sonic territory as the squealing organ wails. But ‘A Binding’ and ‘And A Twist’ take a more familiar tone, reflecting Kali Malone and Ellen Arkbro’s chilly spiritual minimalism. When English reaches his conclusion on the title track, he brings all the elements together, slowly painting over resonant tones until he creates hypnotic phasing sounds that wobble uneasily over gut-churning sub bass. A Mirror Holds the Sky: While English is likely best known at this point for his transcendent and ear-splitting drone plates like “Wilderness of Mirrors” and “Cruel Optimism”, it’s his understated field recordings that have always fascinated us most. “A Mirror Holds The Sky” is a selection of untreated recordings gathered in 2008 in the Amazon over a period of several weeks, chopped down from over fifty hours of audio. It’s layered, textured sound that’s as mind-alteringly elaborate as any pioneering electronic work (think Morton Subotnick or latter-day Autechre) but exists completely in the natural realm. ‘The Jungle’ eases us into a world that might be familiar to anyone who’s spent significant time with Werner Herzog’s “Aguirre” or “Fitzcarraldo”. The Screaming Phia takes a lead role here, calling indiscreetly over the hum and buzz of insects and other birds. But as the album digs further into the rainforest, more unfamiliar sounds are unearthed. ‘The River’ seems to exist both underneath and above the water, capturing the swirl of insects that flutter on the surface. ‘The Island’ is more unsettling still, with implacable animal gurgles that build into a chorus of groaning, dissonant rasps noisier and more desolate than any noise tape. On ‘The Shore’, innumerable insects fashion layers of hypnotizing drone that lull you into near meditation, while ‘The Tower’ magnifies these sounds further, breaking the illusion. The record is constructed so perfectly; English works like a documentary filmmaker, using real life footage but forming a narrative anybody can hook themselves into. It’s a towering work from a consistently engaging artist that truly celebrates the raw sonic power of the natural world – and is an album to file alongside Chris Watson’s still incomprehensible/incomparable ‘Outside The Circle Of Fire’ – it’s that good.



Track Listing:
Disc 1: A Mirror Holds the Sky
01. The Jungle
02. The River
03. The Island
04. The Shore
05. The Tower
06. The Rain

Disc 2: Observation of Breath
1. The Torso
2. A Binding
3. And A Twist
4. Observation Of Breath


Media Report:
Genre: ambient, experimental
Country: Australia
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits