Re: Some Of These Numbers Mean Something

[Os <os@collective.co.uk>]

Michael, thanks so much - for the kind words, and for saving me the
trouble of spamming the list myself :)

The album is also available from iTunes and most other download retailers.


cheers,
os.


2008/9/28 Michael Peters <mp@mpeters.de>:
> I just had the chance to put my headphones on and listen really closely 
>to
> Darkroom's newest album, enigmatically called 'Some Of These Numbers Mean
> Something'.
>
> Darkroom (www.darkroomtheband.net), as you all know, are LD members 
>Michael
> Bearpark on guitars and loops and Andrew "Os" Ostler on keyboards and
> laptop. Guest musician on this album is electric drummer Andrew Booker 
>who
> runs the Improvizone concert series in London - Darkroom + Andrew Booker 
>are
> Improvizone's backbone and play on most of their gigs, often with guest
> musicians (e.g. I had the privilege to play with them last November, see 
>the
> livelooping2007 page on my website). Usually, Os controls his own 
>Augustus
> Loop plugin to loop not only his synths but also Mike's guitar while 
>sending
> a clock signal to Andrew for the drums so that he can synchronize his 
>drum
> delays, to add further rhythmical complexity.
>
> btw two weeks ago I was very happy to see Mike Bearpark and Andrew 
>Booker as
> part of singer Tim Bowness's band No-Man on the German leg of their
> September mini-tour - they did a wonderful job and it was a great 
>evening.
>
> The new Darkroom album ("file under Ambient Stadium Rock") contains nine
> improvised pieces. Mike's guitars are generally in the foreground - so 
>much
> that the original album title was "place guitar under microscope". What
> strikes me every time I listen to Darkroom, and also on this album, is 
>their
> specific sound: it is an organic whole - evolving, open, and full of rich
> textures while often containing surprising changes. There is never 
>extensive
> soloing - maybe that would stand out too much and is therefore sacrificed
> for the sake of a more organic group sound. While Os contributes 
>beautiful,
> often cinematic washes of chords, the complex and energetic rhythmic
> foundation laid down by Andrew Booker and the various distortion sounds
> often applied to Mike's guitars turn the Darkroom sound into something 
>that
> often definitely goes beyond mere ambient music. Ambient with teeth, 
>maybe.
>
> My absolute favorite on this one is "No Candy No Can Do" which combines
> gorgeous Rhodes arpeggios, Hawaiian guitars and dreamy, unusual dub-like
> rhythms - this track is drenched in reverb and reminds me very much of 
>50's
> exotica, not so much because of the sound but because it immedately 
>switches
> on images of faraway islands in my brain. Wonderful!
>
> Buy this album today from
> http://www.burningshed.com/store/darkroom/product/16/1172/
>
>
> -Michael
> (www.michaelpeters.de)
>
>



-- 
os@collective.co.uk
http://www.darkroomtheband.net/
http://www.expert-sleepers.co.uk/