Toby Marks and Andrew Heath – Motion

Disco Gecko

Lower case soundscape composers Toby Marks and Andrew Heath recently found themselves in a fresh part of the UK, looking after a friend’s house and decided to travel north, south, east and west from that point, making recordings and taking aural snapshots of the areas in which they found themselves. Owing to the way in which they both work, the field recordings that they collected form an integral part of the four pieces here, with additional texture added by subtle piano and electric guitar.

The welcoming sound of birdsong heralds the start of the disc, and their first leg takes them west to a slate mine “For Stone”; but the gentle arrival of a high-pitched drone and the sound of rainfall somehow gives the impression of a slow-motion tracking around an abandoned beach hut on stilts. It sounds like the aftermath of something unknown over which a peace has now settled, with brief Gregorian voices adding a further solemnity to the piece. The piano droplets are relaxing, but disconcerting shudders ripple through the roof, making it more agitated than you might expect. It is just for a moment and then equilibrium is regained.

The beauty of the album is that the length of the pieces mean that everything is unhurried and that pace allows you to become immersed in the ambience of the tracks. Heading south “With Iron” feels more open, the flat wide ranging landscape with the sound of water drawing us closer to the coast. The piano here is so delicate and the wisp of drone that accompanies it passes like clouds high up in a summer sky. The use of found mechanical sounds to generate a temporary rhythm is effective, but they come and go as if you were genuinely just passing through. It is an interesting sensation if you are sat indoors or even in bed, taking part in this imaginary journey. When the blare of a reversing alarm forces its way into your consciousness, you do feel transported.

Heading north takes us to Yorkshire with birds, bees, the sound of gliders and village church bells making this a slightly more lively and busier, but the duet between Robert Fripp-like guitar and five-note piano elevates it beyond the soundscape. There is something about the sound of rain captured on tape that is so evocative and coupled with Erik Satie-like piano puts it into a dreamy place that is again different from the final journey east. “By Fire” is a little more strident, the drones working against the rhythmic pull of the landscape, moving gently and searching for another coastline.

Motion is a beautifully immersive series of pieces that are lulling in their slow rhythmic movement, and it does feel as though you have taken some kind of mental journey without having to leave the house — plus it is fun trying to work out exactly what it is that they have recorded. This is a delight for those who enjoy well-framed found sounds and the idea of seeing new parts of the country without even leaving home.

-Mr Olivetti-