Studies for Stradbroke is a collection of hydrophonic recordings made in January and August 2007 at Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. Except for some minor editing and equalization manipulation, there was no other post-processing. There are eight tracks on this album having durations ranging in length from just over two minutes to almost seven and one-half minutes. Each track has a succinct title somewhat indicative of the track's aural content [examples - Reeds of Brown Lake, Intercepted Communications, Terminal Motor, Rock Walls].
Investigating the unique character of sound as carried by the medium of water in contrast to our typical listening experience of hearing sounds transported by air was of key interest here so the inclusion of the word “studies” in the album title is significant. Several years ago Autumn Records released another of collection of his hydrophonic recordings titled Limnology as part of the Leaves CD-R series. Studies for Stradbroke is a continuation of this theme but it’s described by Lawrence as “a more focused attempt” to study the distinctive qualities of underwater sound recordings.
“Alien” and “tactile” are good descriptors of these underwater recordings. The transport of sound though water is in so many ways fundamentally different from our typical daily experiences with sound, and there is a wonderful exotic quality to what I’ve been listening to without being too elusive or indefinable. Quite the contrary, the sounds come across as being quite concrete/tangible. Concentrated listening reveals lots of unexpected sonic nuances that our minds aren’t used to analyzing being biased as they are towards sounds transported through the air.
An initial “whoosh” of noise on the first track Slide (open) [very similar to a sudden rush of wind] rising above the subtle sounds of trickling water caught me by surprise. These short “whooshes” of noise make intermittent appearances throughout the track amidst a backdrop of gentle water sounds, occasionally hard to define pops, clicks, and rustling noises, and interludes of near silence. In contrast to the relatively delicate atmosphere of Slide (open), its successor Reeds of Brown Lake is an unbroken piece of deep sounds laden with low end rumblings and heavy, churning wateriness. The rapid-fire clicks and pops and ever so faint high-pitched frequencies of Intercepted Communications do indeed sound like some kind of exchange of cryptic messages. Invented Tide follows with about five minutes of sparse, dripping wet plunks and splashes that for a couple of fleeting moments almost seen to take on a natural rhythmic quality. The self-descriptive Terminmal Motor not only captures the dense, underwater machine noise of a boat engine but also those same organic pops, clicks, shrill frequencies, and gurgling sounds found on Intercepted Communications. Slipping Grains, although not quite as sparse as Invented Tide, is a similar sounding recording with a little bit more in the way of scratchy textures. More clicks and pops will be found on Rock Walls amongst a dense set of agitated, bubbling water sounds interrupted by the occasional groan (almost human-sounding) of some unidentified type of aquatic life. The album ends as it began with a companion piece to Slide (open) titled Slide (close), closing the album with a similar ambiance.
Clearly to be appreciated for its minimalist approach, pristine sounds, fine detail ,and alien sounding atmosphere, Studies for Stradbroke is sure to please fans of concrete music and/or unprocessed field recordings. It comes packaged in a white, letter-pressed sleeve (designed by Ben Owen) and a cover image from a photograph supplied by Lawrence English.
|
and 