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Mirror, "Nightwalkers"
This CD is a welcome reissue of one of Mirror's most diverse sets,which was originally issued on vinyl in 2000. The remastering processhas aided this set immensely, as its often quiet atmospheric worlds cannow be heard clearly, without the interference of crackling andpopping.Robot
Although I usually prefer vinyl, this is one case where adigital transfer has actually greatly improved the listeningexperience, as even the most pristine vinyl copy will ultimately havesome surface noise. This is music that is best heard with eyes closedor lights out, allowing one to get lost in the environment evoked bythe sounds. The nature of the music of the core Mirror duo of ChristophHeemann and Andrew Chalk (here joined by Andreas Martin) requires fullimmersion in the landscapes they create, and audible sounds made by thetangible object itself only serve to bring the listener back intoreality. Drawn out passages of long shimmering tones are a backdrop forsearing bowed metal groans on the first of five untitled pieces. Theelement which sets this album apart from the many solely drone-basedMirror projects is the unexpected use of rhythms during tracks two andfour. Track Two introduces these shifting, clicking rhythms and letsthem pitter-patter back and forth without adornment for close to threeminutes. These slightly out-of-sync patterns sound more akin to theticking of a clock than any familiar percussion instrument. After thesix minutes of low rumbling and high moaning pitches that make up TrackThree the same rhythms return and are combined with shimmering,tremolo-inflected guitar playing during Track Four. This recurring useof rhythm gives the album a sense of balance. The final piece is atrademark 25 minute drone-scape, with all manner of long tonesreverberating around what sounds like a cavernous space. Hopefully thisreasonably priced reissue will serve as a model on which futurereissues will be based. Much of Mirror's discography is made up ofhard-to-find releases which are only available as expensive, small-runart editions. While the existence of these objects is certainlyjustified by the nature of the music they contain, it would be nice ifeasily obtainable counterparts were offered as well. This music issimply too beautiful to remain unheard by most of the people who wouldenjoy it.
Although I usually prefer vinyl, this is one case where adigital transfer has actually greatly improved the listeningexperience, as even the most pristine vinyl copy will ultimately havesome surface noise. This is music that is best heard with eyes closedor lights out, allowing one to get lost in the environment evoked bythe sounds. The nature of the music of the core Mirror duo of ChristophHeemann and Andrew Chalk (here joined by Andreas Martin) requires fullimmersion in the landscapes they create, and audible sounds made by thetangible object itself only serve to bring the listener back intoreality. Drawn out passages of long shimmering tones are a backdrop forsearing bowed metal groans on the first of five untitled pieces. Theelement which sets this album apart from the many solely drone-basedMirror projects is the unexpected use of rhythms during tracks two andfour. Track Two introduces these shifting, clicking rhythms and letsthem pitter-patter back and forth without adornment for close to threeminutes. These slightly out-of-sync patterns sound more akin to theticking of a clock than any familiar percussion instrument. After thesix minutes of low rumbling and high moaning pitches that make up TrackThree the same rhythms return and are combined with shimmering,tremolo-inflected guitar playing during Track Four. This recurring useof rhythm gives the album a sense of balance. The final piece is atrademark 25 minute drone-scape, with all manner of long tonesreverberating around what sounds like a cavernous space. Hopefully thisreasonably priced reissue will serve as a model on which futurereissues will be based. Much of Mirror's discography is made up ofhard-to-find releases which are only available as expensive, small-runart editions. While the existence of these objects is certainlyjustified by the nature of the music they contain, it would be nice ifeasily obtainable counterparts were offered as well. This music issimply too beautiful to remain unheard by most of the people who wouldenjoy it. samples:
