Hildur Gudnadottir plays the cello to produce a soundtrack for the rising of the Sun or dying of the Earth. I'm aware of exactly how wanky that sounds but the rising and falling of the notes throughout these albums signify (to me) beginnings and endings. And it is not always easy to work out which are the beginnings and which are the endings - such is the dichotomy of the imagination when coerced into sensory moods by music of creative power like this. Listening to this in alternate states and situations and in the extremes of day/night create new thought patterns - although you always find yourself becoming entirely encapsulated by it. I frequently feel like i'm drowning in the music and it is a sweet way to go, i can tell you. There have been many psychological studies regarding drowning/near drowning and all have found that, once somebody lets go of the impulse to fight (or to survive), they are overtaken by a deep calm and sense of inner peace.
Not unlike the music contained on these two albums, although the (almost entirely) solo 'Without Sinking' is by far the masterpiece here, the Hauschka collaboration (which, weirdly enough, is an improvisation inspired by the pantones of the ocean - more water metaphors), whilst incredibly beautiful, is slightly derailed by the percussive elements provided by Hauschka. This is in no way a negative point - just negative when compared with the solo album, which may well be my album of the year - if only i could pronounce her surname when asked for recommendation in the pub.
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