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Marsen Jules, "The Endless Change of Colour"
German artist Marsen Jules has been working in sparse, subtle worlds of ambient sound for over a decade, and this single song album follows that template. Living up to its title, throughout the 47 minutes there is a constant change of light and dark, hues and saturations that never stay still.
Based upon generative compositions sourced from a single phrase on an old jazz record, the result hardly resembles its source.Shimmering, powerful tones are utilized throughout, initially ebbing and flowing passages that seem as if the smallest sound has been expanded into these infinite swells.Never do they seem to be droning, because they are always on the move, becoming more forceful to then just pull back slightly.
Initially the results are mostly light, with buoyant, glistening passages hovering, but slowly things are led into more somber moods.The change is slow, to the point that it is almost unnoticeable, until a few minutes in where the entire mood has shifted dramatically.The higher register string-like drones alternate into more bass emphasizing infinite harmonium passages: sometimes gentle, sometimes bleak.
The major downside to this work is that because of the ascetic, minimal construction and slow, almost microscopic changes and developments, it does not stay entirely captivating throughout.While listening, I could not help but sometimes allow my attention to drift off to something else, and then noticing the difference in sound once I regained my focus.
Never did I feel the urge to completely tune the sound out, or even feel the need to stop listening, but it admittedly did not keep me at the edge of my proverbial seat for the full duration.I always feel particularly satisfied about ambient works that keep me focused and wanting to do nothing else, and The Endless Change of Colour does not manage to do that.It has a strong concept and made up of pleasant tones and textures, but ultimately ends up falling into the trap of not being overly distinct from so many other ambient albums out there.
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