The latest album from artist Kaj Duncan David finds him joining forces with Danish trio Scenatet to fuse sounds from the natural world with twisted approximations of improv discoveries. Over the course of eight tracks, Kaj and his voice synthesiser slip out into the garden with a group of toddlers, a vibraphone (possibly) and other pastoral instruments, and attempt communion with the birds via poetry. It does feel as though they are using these methods to communicate with the birds’ response slightly altered.
It is a curious listen, with the synthesised voice sounding like a sad robot in places, unable to understand the freedom of the birds and like an impression of a violin in others, its distorted commentary accompanied by deliberate, awkward percussion and furtive random objects. The voice is pulled and extruded through these unfurling rural backdrops, the percussion ponderous. Although the pieces sound random, you imagine that each sound has its specific place; there are moments however where the birds seem to have control and are testing the instruments for structural strength.
I am curious as to how these pieces were written as they do feel random. Also, why is the voice hidden? There is a poem on the cover about things not having names and the freedom from structure that gives; but here the voice feels like it is hiding. On “A Banana Peel On The Floor”, they even go beyond recognisable language and it comes over like something Eric Sykes would produce, but set to a pleasant organ and woodblock melancholy. Side two starts off slightly in a slightly terrifying manner. A drunk Stephen Hawking hovers over fragile Twin Peaks sounds with a curious path opening up for a stuttering guitar as sounds coalesce around it. Things turn more frantic and the voice seems panicked, with doomy chords and typewriter chatter accompanying tabla rhythm.It is strange, as there is a lot of space in the songs, but when you concentrate the variation in instruments and sensations is really quite broad and the combinations are endlessly inventive. In the final piece, a ghost escapes offering the clearest of words so far, and the pleasant guitar and abstract percussion offer a lullaby-like backing that makes the disembodied voice even stranger.
This is one person’s vision with careful and understanding support from a talented group of players; the end result is a unique sound experience that seems to change each time you listen.-Mr Olivetti-
