Approaching Silence
David Sylvian has garnered a deserved reputation for brooding melancholy. On albums likeGone to Earthand last year'sDead Bees on a Cake, he seeks salvation while wallowing in the most ecstatic state of quiet repose.Approaching Silenceis what you might imagine Sylvian hears in his darkest ruminations. Comprised of two very long soundscapes and one vignette, Sylvian orchestrates a dream world full of hidden shadows and elusive truths. "The Beekeeper's Apprentice," is a collaboration with Frank Perry who plays chimes, bells, and bowed gongs. Sylvian surrounds his pristine tones with sustained guitar textures and shimmering atmospheres. The title track, which clocks in at 48 minutes, is a sometimes threatening, occasionally claustrophobic landscape withKing Crimsonguitarist Robert Fripp's undulating Frippertronic designs shifting through mysterious voices (also Fripp's) whispering at the borders of comprehension. Sylvian's soundscapes recallSteve Roach's recent forays into pure texture music. You can also hear the influence of Sylvian's earlier ambient collaborator, Holger Czukay, with his found sounds and voices. Originally made to accompany some multimedia installations,Approaching Silencedoesn't create music as much as it articulates a space.--John Diliberto