The Return and the Elegy – Poems by Alistair Campbell Sound Image and Music by Douglas Lilburn.
‘The Return’ is very very spooky. Mahi Potiki speaks ghostly te reo Maori with voice effects over Lilburn’s minimal spacey soundscapes merged with howling winds and isolated oceans - maybe I’ll let Campbell do the poetry here. I did find one review which wasn’t far off my thoughts on it, and also had the same slightly miffed response to ‘Elegy’. An eccentric record suited for eccentric record collectors. Sadly, Soundcloud wouldn't allow me to upload an excerpt from it.
Sydney R Gordon – Self Hypnosis
Lying on the floor following instructions, getting sleeeepy and sleeeepier. Gordo’s voice is perfect for this. The counting backwards and repetition will have you lost out of body, on a calm lake, in a little boat while the sun warms you without a care in the world. However, some of the very minor discrepancies in his details do detract from the power of hypnosis. Like, if I’m on a boat, on a completely still lake, not a cloud in the sky, why would the boat be gently rocking in the breeze with the noise of lapping waves against the side? Are there waves or is it completely still? Being in the middle of huge lake sleeping on a little boat is kind of a scary thought. What if I wake up and it’s all dark, there’s a storm coming in and I’m now at the remote bush side of the lake, miles away from the little pier where I set off, and I’m only in a T-shirt, getting cold, and I can’t find the second oar!!? It’s at this point I wake up again, hear Gordo’s voice counting backwards once more and my eyes start feeling very heavy.
A couple of great finds. I love Lilburn's music - especially the electro-acoustic pieces. And self-hypnosis - perfect with a lulling kiwi accent.
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