Robert Rich Calling Down the Sky

After a staggering near 30 years in the music business, recording more than 20 albums and taking in various live performances along the way, it is reassuring to know that soundscape artist Robert Rich still manages to pull in the crowds. Although in slight contrast to your typical mass sell-out tours Robert Rich decides on a more intimate affair performing a set to a mere audience of 26!

With this in mind what we have here is certainly a live album with a difference, with music ideally suited to the warm, cosy atmosphere for which it was intended. With its 4 linked tracks, spanning a staggering 74 mins, this is a completely solo set and maintains a rather simplistic and surrealistic presence. Sounding quite similar to the ambient organic worlds of Steve Roach, albeit in a lighter more thematic vein this music effectively transcribes perfectly images of earth's natural extremities.

'Erasing Traces' is an excellent overture to the set. The sounds have been sourced entirely from keyboards and electric/E-bow guitars, gradually opening with 'spinning' white noise effects. A light synth drone enters bringing forth melodic choral overtones and at just over the 1 minute mark guitar textures are added, building slowly in intensity until at 3 minutes a thematic e-bow guitar melody enters the scene. This is replaced later with a more powerful electric guitar motif building upon the main theme. With its slight eastern influence this posture is maintained throughout its 13 minute duration. Ending almost as it started, with the white noise effects still in tow the piece subdues slightly moving forward into track two, 'Overhead'.

A lighter, more surreal drone is introduced here and eventually the spinning noise effect carried through from the previous track fades out at around 2 minutes. Shimmering effects then enter and this is enhanced by a simplistic theme. The track ends on a sea of surreal resonating drones moving the listener onward into cosmic territory.

The cosmic drone continues into track 3 'Vertigo', which incidentally is the longest track on the album at a staggering near 21 minutes. A new soundscape is introduced after the first minute or so, under minimalistic effects and occasional bass drone. The sounds of a low flute can be heard at just under the 3 minute mark and again the general theme conjures up images of far eastern lands. The piece moves continually forward throughout its epic duration but never really reaches its peak. At 15 minutes additional atmospheric white noise effects come into play and the piece concludes with effective bird samples, white noise effects and a minimal shimmering drone. This menagerie of sound carries us through to the next piece, 'Supplication'.

Under a wash of white noise effects, infrequent gentle percussive sounds are added together with further effects. A meditational underlying theme enters and at just over the 1 minute mark a low synth drone is added together with more low flute. Delayed and distant gamelan type bell effects carry to the piece to its subtle conclusion.

In contrast slightly to its predecessors track 5, Borealis begins with a thematic and quite melancholy E-bow guitar solo under a simple surreal drone. The addition of scuttling insect type effects adds atmospheric conditions to the proceedings, eventually taking things forward into track 6, 'Lost Landmarks' which moves back into lighter drone territory.

Bell effects combined with low drone textures enter the mix and this intensifies after the first minute. The inclusion of a bass drone adds a menacing feel to this piece but in slight contrast light textures return at just over 3 minutes. This section then moves into thematic territory, with an almost neo-classical feel towards its stunning and surreal finale.

The penultimate Track 7, 'Adrift' takes the listener down into the depths of the deep with distant effects from the sub-aquiem. Light soundscapes coincide with the effects and a new lighter theme enters at about the half-way mark taking things on towards the set's finale.

'Recognition' at just over 8 minutes is one of the most beautiful and somewhat melancholic tracks to be found on the album. Similar in structure to 'Borealis' the E-bow guitar returns with a haunting theme, which is intermittently outdone by a slightly more sustained and powerful electric guitar equivalent. The theme continues throughout this piece ultimately ending in surreal soundscapes, bird samples and other effects.