Stephen Holliger — Fives and Sixes
Reflecting on past memories from his childhood, Stephen Holliger's Fives and Sixes slowly works together pieces of unreleased work to build this contemplative look back. Our memories change over time, imperfect snapshots of our lives, but this is even more apparent in those with dementia, and that is the core focus of Stephen's latest album. This blurring of time, space, and memory fuels Fixes and Sixes, its hazy somnambulism the aural depiction of one's shifting childhood memories
Slowly unfolding over five tracks, Fives and Sixes is a calm, meditative ambient work that glides like a cloud across streaking sun rays with the occasional bit of rain and thunder. Utilizing unreleased sounds and samples, this treatise on memory is well built and arranged, flowing effortlessly from start to finish. From "First Breath" to "Final Drift," Stephen's look at dementia and memory feels like it's something very close to his heart, something that made a big impact. In the background, one can hear bits and pieces of speech, which is culled from childhood recordings of his grandmother. WIth her as the only bit of voice on an ambient study of dementia, one can make some connections and see why this lush recording feels so personal. The slowly oscillating layers give motion and texture to the mix, helping the listener to envision travelling through the tunnels of their mind to retrieve youthful memories, whether they're true to fact or have altered as time has gone on. Soft and shining, the music feels ethereal, which helps to add to the impermanence and intangibility of memory. Fives and Sixes isn't flashy or inventive, but it is really solid and its calm, meditative composition draws the listener in and keeps them for the entire run time. Instead of zoning out, one zones in instead, and lets the music guide them through the deeper recesses of their mind and memory.
Our memories are our records, our lived experiences, our joys, pains, happiness, and sorrows. However, these are trapped in living tissue, subject to change throughout time, memories blending together, becoming distorted, or disappearing completely. Those with dementia have their memories reshaped slowly, creating a different past than one they experienced, leaving them in a present that they're not always familiar with. Fives and Sixes examines how these memories shift, its drifting layers of lush ambience carrying the listener on a wonderful meditative journey.