REVIEW: IO Records - Of Morning And Of Glory
“We are the sum total of our experiences. Those experiences – be they positive or negative – make us the person we are, at any given point in our lives. And, like a flowing river, those same experiences, and those yet to come, continue to influence and reshape the person we are, and the person we become. None of us are the same as we were yesterday, nor will be tomorrow.”B.J. Neblett
There are numerous quotes that speak similar platitudes about the human experience but this particular one fits well as B.J Neblett touches on an idea of the ephemeral. That you or I are constantly changing, that questions asked repeatedly could have different answers. These answers, acting as a snapshot in time, will be a common thread throughout this review as a slight tweak of this question asking scenario brings us to the creative context behind ‘Of Morning And Of Glory’, IO Records debut vinyl release. As well as the first in a series of compilations aimed as the label states to, ‘look into several special natural phenomenons and let various artists of different artforms interpret their own picture of it in their individual creative language’. Each passing their ‘answer’ to the next for interpretation. Similar to that of a Chinese whispers game.
Down upon the coastal shores of northern Australia lies the Gulf of Carpentaria. In the springtime, is where we’re drawn, as awe-inspiring rolling clouds frequent the area. As the label states, ‘Kwasu Tembo, writer and musician started the whole process with a lyrical text about this phenomenon which was passed on to four visual artists: Dycide, MTRL, Ohneweil and Polygonia. The created artworks, based on their synaesthetic impression of Kwasu Tembo's words, were handed to the musicians Foreign Material, Infinity, Javier Marimon and Olorun. They crafted four musical pieces arising from their visual impression of the digital designs’.
Trundled on sky-surf glowering,
thrice-rolled both higher up
and higher down in the even
swell,
the silent crash
no sibilance giving
as it slides
over the carpets
of sleeping Carpentaria,
dispersing the fog
of our nightmares
like lint moved
to cloudspeed.
If you listen close,
you can hearthe triple-call
of birdssounding out
in waves
the cry of Kangolgi,
the eroding bringerof bounty,
wet parcels atop
the lessening crests‘
crashless rise, cool,
oh stretch out
all leadingand all trailing
edges,
that we beneath
might see
the surge of a new mix,
of sea and sky,
of morning
and of
glory.
- words by Kwasu Tembo
Javier Marimon - Os Muiños
Imagine the gulf, just waking up. The birds, moving from their slumbers flit about, a slight energy is in the air but the murky mists hold dear. Javier Marmon’s Os Muiños is a lovely ambient exploration into those energies. The textured rumbles, scratches, drips and splashes provide an almost tactile auditory sensation. All the while an undulating melody fades in and out of focus, panning around the listener adding to the sensations of being completely surrounded by life and nature in its various forms.
Olorun - Corcovado
Taking heed of the nature of clouds, Olorun’s Corcovado does exactly as they do. Off into the distance a single puff of white is spotted but over time grows and grows, moving ever so slowly but surely. Enveloping everything in its path, surrounding all in the warm embrace. The groove, the percussion, the welcoming pads, it’s all here. The progression throughout is a wonderfully nuanced build in energy and tension.
Infinity – Evocation
The embodiment of wind, one could say about Evocation. Starting off strong, like a summer's gale, the brooding melody builds, twisting around the listener, pushing in one direction while pulling in another. All until a lull in the breeze, a moment to catch your breath while taking in the splendor. All peace must come to an end however as melodies shift longer and more pronounced, there is tension in the air.
Foreign Material - Red Sky Spirits
Maintaining a level of gravitas to match that of the clouds, Brussels based Foreign Material and their ‘Red Sky Spirits’ embodies the inevitable march across the sky. Wide ranging synths and contrasting voices paint a grandiose scene as the bass line below acts as the engine like wind pushing the clouds forever forward.
In all, Of Morning And Of Glory is a wonderful exploration into a series of related artforms and how they all are intertwined through the human experience. Each artist involved has had their moment, their answer cemented into being through the lense of another which makes for a sense of cohesiveness. Yet, at each stage a new level of perspective has been added to great effect creating a wonderfully diverse release. I give all my respect to Polygonia, Kwasu Tembo, Dycide, MTRL, Ohneweil, Foreign Material, Infinity, Javier Marimon and Olorun. We at Delayed will be closely following for the next release from IO Records.
Of Morning And Of Glory is out now, on Bandcamp.