Forever at the epicentre of the digital world he recently
described in Haunted Weather, Music, Silence &
Memory, published earlier this year, David Toop
appears to constantly question his role through his
books, articles, installations or records. Thirty years
after their first collaboration, New & Rediscovered
Musical Instruments, released on Brian Eno’s
Obscure label, and ten years after its follow up, Burried
Dreams (Beyond, 1994), Toop and sound sculptor
Max Eastley reconvene for the third time. With Eastley
providing all sorts of mechanical instruments, sculptures
and devices and Toop configuring recordings of these
on computers, Doll Creature is more than a
simple extension of their previous work together.
Doll Creature sounds like a world listened
to through magnifying microphones, as if the most minute
sounds and noises had been captured for the first time
and made available for all to hear, while remaining
entirely foreign to the human ear. Could it be the hum
of an insect colony oblivious of the intrusion captured
on Moth Cinema, or is it human skin cracking
under the sun? Is Cardiomancy a symphony for
faulty radiators and air conditioning units or the much
sombre deed of parasites? Could Metamorphose
be the true sound of ice melting? There is no answer
to be found anywhere, no pointers, no clues to what
Eastley and Toop depict on this album. Even Toop’s
accompanying text ultimately leaves the listener with
more questions than solutions. But Doll Creature
is not about explaining, but about dreams and tales,
and the listener’s imagination is put to contribution
all the way through. Both Eastley and Toop with their
respective machines invite their audience to interact
with their music, give their personal interpretation
of these sonic constructions and reflect on their meaning.
Yet, it is possible to distance oneself from this album
and simply appreciate its content for what it is. With
Doll Creature, Max Eastley and David Toop create
a truly organic and dense piece of work, relying on
bare sonic assemblages and often obscure soundscapes.
If melodies are rare and incidental, they however form
part of the album’s skeleton. Although never clearly
emerging, and seldom appearing to have been placed at
any particular point on purpose, they are no trick of
the mind and help shaping up the structure of these
fifteen tracks by giving them a common thread. Doll
Creature is mysterious and difficult, and not for
everyone to enjoy, yet, it is also a very rewarding
piece of work if given the necessary space to develop
and spread.
4.8/5 |
