Broken Harbour - Gramophone Transmissions mp3

I am always pleased when I see the artists develop their own sound during their career. Being stuck on some specific level doesn't make any good for anyone. I like to hear the transformation or at least the efforts for transformation. But I much more pleased to hear when the artist makes some progress and steps forward in exploring new boundaries of own creativity. Here I have the last album of Canadian resident Blake Gibson which can be a great example of that kind of a progress. When reviewing his previous album dated around 2009, I had this feeling that told me: "Here is the guy who is able to create something special". And as the time passed I can be sure today that I wasn't mistaken about him.

'Gramophone Transmissions' is the name that totally reflects the stuffing of the package while it was created around the scratching sound of an old vinyl. This kind of sound always associated to me with some gentle passion and a slight touch of nostalgia. In his second album Blake invites us to dive into the atmosphere of ruined civilization and nuclear holocaust, when the music fully created by non-synth sampled loops and drones. The opening track "Drift" welcomes us with a light, almost heavenly new age piano and orchestra structures, and truly drift it is with a soft touch of the wind and a worm stream of the sea. While drifting on the waves of sound, we arrive towards the second composition; "The Ballad of Dave Bowman pt.1" which grabs us into its gentle hands of the light atmosphere, where the time doesn't exists. Space continuum stops as soon as we transmitted into the second part of the same named track, base totally on the dense organ loops and the same light structures, guiding to the oblivion of ever existing memories. Nothing remains, everything drifts away, one can stop moving and breathing, because the sound of the ballad is the sound of the universe, where the human aspirations, ambitions, deeds and desires simply mean nothing compared to the wideness of neverending existence. Our journey comes towards "Titan", the biggest Saturn satellite, and due to that the music becomes darker and more static to open the second part of the album. The tracks transform to be gloomier with depressing atmosphere which doesn't lack its mysticism, becoming more and more hypnotic and even meditative as soon as we travel towards the very end.

As the result of the journey I can clearly state that Blake made a huge progress since his first efforts through the album 'Broken Harbour'. Once again, the second part of the cd loses a little bit of the power, amassed from the opening. But still remaining atmospheric, music kept me sank inside its ambience to bring one huge piece of entertainment. Way to go Blake and hope to hear from you more compositions in the future brought from a frozen and chilly part of the globe.

Broken Harbour "Gramophone Transmissions" CDr

Broken Harbour is a drone ambient endeavor of Edmonton, Canada, based artist Blake Gibson, who introduces here his second full length album released during September 2011. We are first confronted with stunningly looking cover images. Yes, you can't go wrong with having Michal Karcz, a Polish photographer and image wizard, responsible for the graphic artwork duties. Michal has already worked within ambient genre with renowned artists such as Steve Roach, Erik Wøllo or David Helpling & Jon Jenkins for example. But let's investigate the sonics by this newcomer to my ambient collection. "Drift" unfolds Broken Harbour's soundscaping exactly as indicated by its title, where deeper drifts are bridged with crackles from old vinyl records spread across the piece and with modern classical-infused piano, all wrapped by moods of longing and remembrance. A very strong intro marking a small change in the course, when moving from more darker and colossal, nearly mind-bending drones on self-titled debut "Broken Harbour". "Gramophone Transmissions" venture into slightly lighter drone and glitchy zones with the cover images precisely portraying the title and main source of this album, which features except classical vinyl records also recordings of piano, mellotron and choral. Then follow two parts of "The Ballad Of Dave Bowman", the first one is colored with slowly spiraling washes, very tranquil and mesmerizing, with angelic choir-like sounds floating in sky high realms, and supported by sensitive glitches and hisses, fragile piano and mysteriously emerging voice samples. Another deeply evocative sound sculpture!!! The second part of "The Ballad Of Dave Bowman" is mostly based around monotonously droning pipe organ sounds, slowly cascading and awaking the old, long forgotten, memories. Beautifully surrounding and tranquilizing the listener's mind!!! "Titan" attracts with the synergy between various, aurally effective glitches and hisses with silent passages, peaceful washes and hints of hidden drama, all glimmeringly interweaving and evoking more melancholic, nearly ethereal feelings. The unmeasurable and unmistakable beauty of "The River Of Appearance" is gracefully hovering above. Well done, Blake, certainly one of my fave pieces on this journey!!! The next composition "Dark Clouds Approaching From The West", as its title suggests, is invaded by heavier and darker drone walls, strengthened by ghostly sounding choirs, masterfully painting images of cloudy seamless sunset panoramas. "Maelstrom (The Descent)" remains in the darker, nocturnal terrains, quite dramatic and adventurous, but also much more frightening with cryptic voices emerging here and there. This is a truly unsettling, transcendental sonic ride, clocking to 16 and half minutes. The closing "Unforeseen Consequences" is fortunately more relieving with its static, but slowly rising drone before it peacefully fades away into silence. "Gramophone Transmissions" are skillfully crafted, and even if self-released as a CDr edition only, with strong attention paid to its visual part. Congratulations to Broken Harbour!!! I will keep my eyes and ears wide-open, Blake!!! Highly recommended for all traversers hanging on the edges of ambient and dark ambient genres!!! And get your headphones ready...

Richard Gürtler (Jun 03, 2012, Bratislava, Slovakia)