- Salt Marie Celeste
Salt Marie Celeste's release was preceded by a press release that proclaimed the album to contain one of the most ambitious pieces the band had ever done, which would reshape the world of contempory electronics. Well unfortunately this rather overblown statement has shot itself in the foot, because quite simply it isn’t any of the things the statement claims. Anyone who bought the music accompanying the art show at the horse hospital in 2003 will recognise the drone that makes up the backbone of this 60 minutes single track disk.
Apparently taking influence from Gavin Bryars minimalist masterpiece The sinking of the titanic. The album begins with that horse hospital drone, unaccompanied until about 10 minutes, when a looped whooshing sound panes it’s way across your ears. A few minutes later, another effect, this time a creaking door sound is added to the mix, and so on, sounds being added as the atmosphere is built on by the individual pieces bringing together the concept of the sinking ship with the drone beginning to take shape as the lapping of the waves against the sinking hull. After 50 or so minutes all effects have been added and the feeling is really rather good, it’s just a shame it took so long to reach it’s climax. In the last few minutes the creaking crashing effects are replaced by the sound of water bubbling below and the drone slowly fading out. All in all not one of NWWs best releases, In terms of their drone work, it’s passable, but with the last two full albums providing such promise, you can’t help but feel a bit let down.
(Add on 2005 - Having had twenty months to digest this album I may have been a bit harsh on it. Yes it's not condusive to active listening, but put it on while reading or working or any other activity that leaves your ears free and this piece really does make it's mark.)
