Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Embla Quickbeam - Stones That Move And Grow [Chocolate Monk - 2019]

Rowan Forestier-Walker, known as Embla Quickbeam, is a sound and visual artist from Todmorden, West Yorkshire.I 'd never  heard of Embla Quickbeam before, and I must say was very positively surprised by this short but rewarding album- which ties together field recordings with subtle instrumental detail Stones That Move And Grow was released last year on CDR, and was limited to 60 copies.

It was recorded (and composed ???) in Longman, South Downs, White Lake, Chalvington, East Sussex, Shaw Wood, Knotts Road, Todmorden, and Dyffryn Dolman, St. Tanwgs Chapel, North Wales with the following elements/ instruments: field recordings, Vlf radio, Foil, sand, crystal singing bowl, motors, imitators, Aeolian harp, wood stove, common animals, frozen lake.  

The first track on the release "Visible Auras" has a runtime of just twenty-minute seconds- it offers us a quiet sounding rumble underpinned by the noise of the recording itself. This reminded me of underwater recordings of a frozen lake. So with this as a  opener, I wasn't quite sure what to expect next.

The second track is "Church In The Sand",  and this moves in a tonally different direction!. It starts with field recordings of small water holes- this is accompanied by an earthquake-like rumble which appears after just a few seconds, this is underpinned by singing bowls and woodstove tones. The tremor builds up inexorably and almost becomes a sound- avalanche. Amplified objects and dark drones join in and let the quake run out. The drones give the entire piece a mesmerizing theme that's held until the end. 
 
The third track "The Sky Is Whole" leads us with a 1.15-minute loop of field recordings of ambient sounds of a forest or field- where everything seems to creep  or swell. "Stones That Move And Grow", the fourth track  is the eponym of the album- it begins with a sonic composition of field recordings, voices, engine noises, and static textures. Gradually, amplified objects creep in, which are subliminally accompanied by soft drones.  After about six minutes the sound is reduced to just a dark theme ( reverse played ???) Cello-like sound ... Scratching noises such as warped, rusty metal doors add to the whole impression. The structure is then interrupted by a gong and slowly returns to the introductory field recordings after more than ten minutes. 
 
"Silver Water" is a short recording with another gong-like tone of a Singin Bowl and leads us directly into the eerie background noise of the 6th piece "Remote Sense", which sounds like a more consistent continuation of the first piece "Visible Aura". Here too, field recordings and drones from Singing Bowls are gradually used. Slowly water noises push themselves into the foreground and merge with motor-like noises to pulsating, almost annoying, high-pitched effect loops. From the six-minute mark, the piece slows down and leads us back into a more pleasant sphere. This piece is my clear favorite of the album!  The final piece "Manifest Tulpa" offers us once again a short, but very dark soundscape. 
 
To anyone whose interest in blends of field records & subtle instrumental elements I hope my review has piqued your interest in this  release. I can also recommend exploring the Embla Quickbeam bandcamp site too

Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

Jan Warnke
Latest Reviews

Embla Quickbeam - Stones That Mov...
Rowan Forestier-Walker, known as Embla Quickbeam, is a sound and visual artist from Todmorden, West Yorkshire.I 'd never  heard of Embla Quickbeam ...
161225   Daniel Szwed - Splinter
161225   Marmur - Elektroniczne Systemy
151225   Danheim - Heimferd
151225   Stärker - Spectral
131225   Rose Tang & Patrick Golden -...
121225   Uriah Heep - The Shadow And ...
121225   Howard Stelzer - Five Thousa...
121225   BITTER SPINSTER - Scat Punk
121225   Cro-Mags - Alpha Omega
121225   Cro-Mags - Near Death Experience
Latest Articles

The Spectral Sounds of The Projec...
As music obsessives know, what makes a label fascinating is not just the sounds they release. The most intriguing labels offer a conceptual framework and con...
041225   The Spectral Sounds of The Pr...
281025   Michael Hurst Interview - Unb...
071025   Xiphos - The Rise And Fall Of...
030925   Third Window Films - A Label ...
130825   HNW fest- Barcelona- 12th Apr...
250725   Raté interview - Walled-in F...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
280525   The Residents - Visits From T...
090525   Ennaytch - Of walls, abused ...
150425   Dead, Dead Swans interview - ...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom