Advanced communication is arguably humanity's greatest trait, and one that remains as important now as when the first utterances left our ancestors' lips. However, over time, the increases in technology have only exacerbated the inherent flaws in our systems, and no matter how hard we try to close these holes, miscommunication will always persist. Our sensory organs are wonderful and a marvel of evolution, but sometimes the firmware has trouble processing for any number of reasons. Timothy Fairless looks into the subtleties of communication, miscommunication, technology, and how it all works together with Keep Talking to Me. Taken from his sound installation mirroring the communicative process, this album utilizes conversations, electronics, and varied effects to put his thesis forth: altering the context of the communication will force the listener to question their interpretation. What they end up receiving is up to them, whether on purpose or subconsciously. Is it the brain truly interpreting the signals or, like Paul Simon sang, "a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest"?
Immersive and accessible, Fairless' sonic inquiry into the journey of communication and interpretation plays out like a literal game of telephone; words and responses are fed back into his system, furthering them from their original message. In the end, the original is unrecognizable. While this use of technology forces the hand of misunderstanding and miscontextualizing, it is necessary to achieve a result in a normal amount of time. With the sheer amount of information we take in daily, most of the attempts at communication we see/hear are pushed to the background while we amble through our day like robots. Bright signs and loud ads are directed at us only to fall short, unable to penetrate our shields. We often forget that even these brief statements are part of a large and complex system of communication, just a part we choose to trivialize. But what would it sound like to us without that noise? While not speaking to the abundance of unsolicited words, sounds, and jingles that are always around us, Keep Talking to Me utilizes a more familiar base of conversations; those communications that we should be present for. The result is a very listenable bit of droning darkness, something akin to keeping your ear close to the wall on a train ride. The sounds come and go, the voices ebb and flow, but the listener is somewhere else, hearing but not understanding. "What are words for, when no one listens anymore?" One interesting question that arises is that of inability to comprehend. With technology conveying almost all of our daily communication, what happens when that goes awry? Try as you might, the conversation could be lost and there's nothing you could do about it. Interestingly, Fairless' work obfuscates obvious context, but through this, gives the listener an open canvas to create what they want to hear and feel. And at the end of the day, sadly, everything that comes into our brain is subject to our own brain and interpretation, so can communication ever be completely objective?
Keep Talking to Me moves very slowly through the speakers, but brings with it a strength and vibe that speaks to the listener (pun fairly intended). Like a beam of light barely penetrating the dark ocean, the music has depth and soul, but remains natural feeling and avoids being grim or heavy. Perfect for headphones and thorough re-examinations, Timothy Fairless'
Keep Talking to Me is a treat for those looking for something more to dissect and revisit. For
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