Martyn Bates "Dance of Hours" NDN Records NDN 27 2001 (27:12)
Poems Pennyeach (:45)
Wishing
Songs (3:30)
Stars Above (3:58)
War-Like
(5:09)
Bethlehem (3:53)
Alone Reprise (:36)
Once Blessed (6:00)
The
Heart Song (3:21)
Martyn Bates is a founding member of the eclectic '80s duo Eyeless in Gaza and a prolific collaborator and solo artist. "Dance of Hours" is a 27 minute mini album that is essentially a continuation of his solo work "Letters Written" begun in 1982. Bates plays most everything here: piano, organ, bass and electric Hawaiian guitar plus additional vocals on 2 songs by Elizabeth S. and co-production by former Gaza partner Peter Becker. But, most importantly, is the voice. To say that Bates' voice is heavenly is still an understatement. It is undeniably the focal point of these richly melodic, poetic songs. In fact, the more minimal the musical accompaniment, the better. "Poems Pennyeach" and "Alone Reprise" (which are pretty much the same James Joyce piece, both less than a minute apiece) and "The Heart Song" showcase only Bates' golden throat within a reverberated cloud or intermittent background vocalizations. The rest effectively couple the voice with flickers of notes and drone. Though this album is brief it's still a very welcome addition to Bates' catalog. And the insert thoughtfully contains all of the lyrics, pure poetry in and of itself ...
Where did I get this cd? - mail order via Soleilmoon Recordings.