Lawrence English — For/Not For John Cage

This latest work from Australian artist Lawrence English was created as an homage to John Cage and originally began as a re-scoring of the film "One11".  Somewhat ashamed I must admit that I am less familiar with Cage's work than I should be, but I do have the distinct impression from familiarity with some of his work that one composition differs form the next as much conceptually than they do sonically.  That being said although the catalyst for the creation of this album was the centenary of Cage it is not reminiscent of any of the Cage works of which I am familiar, and pleasantly surprised by this was able to view the album without this preexisting filter, such a danger for any tribute work. 

A quick fly-through of "For/Not For John Cage":  This album is atmospheric and will be treated like the atmosphere that it is, so step inside the vessel.  Our lift-off begins with "Jansia Borneensis" , out the window of the cabin you will see that we are entering a spectral and swelling, ambient place.  The sky's backdrop is an ever shitting wash of bluish pink calling us forward into the zen'd out cosmic waiting room of "Otidea Onotica".  As the title suggest the work in consideration is a tribute to Cage, but the atmosphere in which we have been enveloped for the moment is more reminiscent of certain regions of the sky once explored by Eno.  As we drift in the sector of "Hygrophorus Russula" we encounter slowly shifting tone clouds.  From the background wooden pieces fall from the sky like a broken piano splintered into a million pieces yet so dispersed that we feel only a few.  It is a less relaxing location than the others but has a stagnant consistency which grounds it while remaining in the sky.  Then as we are thrown into "Naematoloma Sublateritium" and the nauseating swirl jitters begin.  Your air sickness bags are located in the back of the seat if needed.  Is this a swarm we are in the midst of, or are helicopters surrounding us?  The tension in this place continues to grow reminding one of the explorations in the PTV / Z'ev collaboration "Direction of Travel".  From here we are drawn further upward to "Corprinus Comatus" with the pretty tidal swells of the sky being slurped up by warbling LFOs, it takes one back to the days of Louis and Bebe Barron when space sounded like space.  The soaring feeling of this construction is accurate as it sweeps through most of the human emotions lifting one into the "Amanita Inaurata".  Here the desolate quiet takes over rising into distorted bumps, a vision of wind running through a clothesline is broken by the sheets freezing in place with the permanent winter of the sky.  This quietude is broken as "Gymnosporangium" glows like melting metal soon to become mercuric bubble gum which rolls down the newly formed mountain of frost and as we feel we will reach the bottom…  The stellar explosion of "Entoloma Abortivum", then calm floating through interstellar space, following the curve of space-time, bending slowly with the ever distant random super-nova along the way.