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In terms of mood and style, the music on “Southern Isles Sketchbook” closely follows the sonic path established by “Along the Coppermine Ridge”. Having had the opportunity to hear and comment on several demos of this project over the past year and a half, I have been able to follow its development in some detail. The album represents another significant step in the composer’s ongoing pursuit of creating music in the vein of Brian Eno’s “The Pearl”. Rudy Adrian’s concept for this 72-minute album was to create what he describes as “two albums on one disc.” The first half consists of fully developed compositions, many of them around five minutes in length, while the second half is built around short sketches and vignettes, recorded live late at night. This approach gives the album a distinctive sense of spontaneity and intimacy. What makes the project particularly intriguing, however, is the personal creative process behind it. Rudy discovered that some of these sketches could not easily be recreated or reworked. They possessed a mysterious, almost magical sonic quality that seemed to disappear when he attempted to improve upon them. The fact that roughly 100 sketches were ultimately discarded makes the final selection all the more remarkable. The result is a form of ambient sonic poetry: understated, atmospheric and deeply contemplative. There is an almost meditative quality to the music, evoking the beauty, tranquillity and natural harmony associated with island landscapes. The influence of Eno’s “The Pearl” is clearly perceptible, as is something of the atmosphere of “Ambient #4: On Land”. In its own distinctive way, “Southern Isles Sketchbook” also serves as a subtle tribute to the work of Brian Eno and Harold Budd. This becomes particularly apparent in those passages where the piano gradually enters the soundscape, adding an organic and deeply human dimension to the otherwise spacious ambient textures. Ultimately, “Southern Isles Sketchbook” succeeds not through grand gestures, but through atmosphere, restraint and the delicate balance between composed music and spontaneous discovery. It is a quietly immersive album that rewards attentive listening and offers a compelling continuation of Rudy Adrian’s exploration of ambient sound. |
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Website: www.rudyadrian.magix.net Website: rudy-adrian.bandcamp.com Website: www.spottedpeccary.com You can see what reviews I have done of this artist on the Rudy Adrian artist page
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