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hollAnd Borthwick, "Helene"
What some people call monotonous or repetitive others are sure to callmoving or stirring.
This release is many things: the soundtrack to MarkBorthwick's visually stunning art and photography, originally composedfor an exhibition at the Swiss Institute in New York in 1999; a bizarresound collage made up of acoustic guitar, spoken word, and electronics,all cut up for your pleasure/annoyance; an inspiration to Kim Gordon ofSonic Youth, which could be good or bad, depending how you look at it(a line from this release contains the words "a thousand leaves," whichis reportedly where the Sonic Youth album of the same name received itsmoniker); confusing and stunning at the same time. I listened to all 38minutes and 58 seconds in one listen, and I must say I wasimpressed/confused/stunned/annoyed/fascinated/dismayed. To tell thetruth I don't really quite know how to feel after the experience. It iscertainly an interesting listen, though, I feel, lacking without thevisual component. Although the packaging is well done and contains thecomplete text for the album with two Borthwick-taken photographsrandomly selected from four total, they are a poor substitute for thework that I feel this was inspired by or helped inspire. I wasreminded, strangely enough, of Tortoise's "Djed," and how the firsttime I listened to it I felt similar to how I felt about this project,a collaboration between Borthwick and TREVOR/hollAnd. So I listened toit again. And again. After several listens, I like it more, though I amjust as confused. And perhaps I should be. It's a lot to swallow, and Ifeel I may never fully understand it. But I dare you to try, and I hopeyou can. I just wish I could see the whole piece as it is intended tobe viewed. Then perhaps this release would have more meaning and wouldserver as a reminiscence for something incredibly moving. That's thesense I get from this. I'm missing too much. -
This release is many things: the soundtrack to MarkBorthwick's visually stunning art and photography, originally composedfor an exhibition at the Swiss Institute in New York in 1999; a bizarresound collage made up of acoustic guitar, spoken word, and electronics,all cut up for your pleasure/annoyance; an inspiration to Kim Gordon ofSonic Youth, which could be good or bad, depending how you look at it(a line from this release contains the words "a thousand leaves," whichis reportedly where the Sonic Youth album of the same name received itsmoniker); confusing and stunning at the same time. I listened to all 38minutes and 58 seconds in one listen, and I must say I wasimpressed/confused/stunned/annoyed/fascinated/dismayed. To tell thetruth I don't really quite know how to feel after the experience. It iscertainly an interesting listen, though, I feel, lacking without thevisual component. Although the packaging is well done and contains thecomplete text for the album with two Borthwick-taken photographsrandomly selected from four total, they are a poor substitute for thework that I feel this was inspired by or helped inspire. I wasreminded, strangely enough, of Tortoise's "Djed," and how the firsttime I listened to it I felt similar to how I felt about this project,a collaboration between Borthwick and TREVOR/hollAnd. So I listened toit again. And again. After several listens, I like it more, though I amjust as confused. And perhaps I should be. It's a lot to swallow, and Ifeel I may never fully understand it. But I dare you to try, and I hopeyou can. I just wish I could see the whole piece as it is intended tobe viewed. Then perhaps this release would have more meaning and wouldserver as a reminiscence for something incredibly moving. That's thesense I get from this. I'm missing too much. - samples:
The Eye: RELOADED!
Ten years ago, Brainwashed.com launched The Eye, one of the first regular music oriented video features online. Over the years, close to 150 mini documentaries were produced from live and interview footage with some of the most innovative acts. In the last few weeks, the videos have been re-visited, re-mastered, and re-presented on YouTube. We're excited for the new resolution, sound, and clarity of these features, along with the portability afforded by YouTube. Over the next few weeks we will be randomly selecting features on the home page here of Brainwashed but you can always Start at the beginning and see where it takes you!
