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Synthesist Paul Ellis has come to prominence lately with a
string of impressive and acclaimed Berlin
School sequencer
albums. I'm the first to admit that
Berlin School doesn't punch my buttons these days, but, as with the impressive
Life Sequence by Steve
Roach (which Ellis appeared on), I'm open to modern takes on the
classic form, provided they sound fresh and new, rather than be rehashes of
past triumphs from thirty-odd years ago.
Ellis, a former member of Dweller at the Threshold, seems to have moved
past pure sequencing in favor of space music featuring it rather than being
stylistically ruled by it. Somewhere at
the intersection of ambient synthscapes and entrancing sequences lies
The Sacred Ordinary, Ellis's latest record.
The Sacred Ordinary begins dramatically
with "Icon," a ticking clock of mid-tempo sequencing that cascades
prettily and progressively, with a deep low end punctuating the crystalline
shimmer. A synth flute solos in tune
with the sequencing, bringing a sylvan theme to the proceedings. This is dramatic electronic music, paced well
and with ever-changing sequences that feel like gentle showers brushing over
the listener's body. Ellis is careful to
intersperse the track with many random tones and sounds to keep the listener
actively involved--it's a strength that prevents the sequencing from getting
too repetitive. "Shining"
starts with low, deep gurgling, eventually cut with a slow sequence and phased
synth. The sequence begins to build into
a more complex pattern as notes are added.
A second sequence arrives, this one more frenetic, and the tone is
set. More and more sequences are built
upon the track until we are placed straight in the middle of an artery; we
become a blood vessel furiously tumbling through the circulatory system. Any ambient tendencies from the first track
are tossed out the window, as full on sequenced, phasing patterns shift and
morph over eleven minutes. The next
track, "The Sacred Ordinary," is an almost jarring about face,
presenting a gorgeous nine-minute ambient drift piece. Fans of Vir Unis's drift work will especially
enjoy this piece, which could find a artistic brother in VU's The
Drift Inside. Ellis proves to
be no slouch in creating evocative soundscapes; this is a slowly gliding
journey, and one that I was happy to listen to on repeat for a while. A surprisingly ambient highlight. "Blue Heron" sounds almost jazzy
with a repeated synth phrase met by vibraphone sounds and scattered synth
noises. It's times like this that I wish
I had a musical vocabulary to describe what the separate elements are doing,
because I'm sure it's called something in particular. Needless to say, all the elements build to a
tuneful melange of different synth passages.
"The Still
Center of a Turning
World" has an Eastern flavor as if one is walking through a bustling
bazaar run by mechanical beings. This
song reminds me very much of Roedelius's musical sensibility, and is a light
confection of progressive synthwork.
"Oresence" begins low and deep, but explodes into dynamic
sequencing with a refreshing Indian tonality provided by synths that sound like
processed sitar or sarod. The sequences
and more traditional sounding instruments (though altered and virtual) don't
quite fit, but this is an interesting experiment in East meets West that
surprises at every turn.
"Cascade" brings harmonic singing into the milieu--always a
wonderful sound--and effectively an introduction to Ellis's sacred sequencing
which bubbles along as intense as the vocals.
The synths are psychedelic and progressive here, reminding me more than
a little of Tangerine Dream, though in a far more modern context. The sequencing gets more intense by track's
end, eventually hushing into near silence.
"After All" returns us to ambience, with an Eno-esque zone of
stillness. This is a great, though
short, track with melancholy synth that echoes Harold Budd or James
Johnson. Gorgeous and a highlight of the
disc. "Turning Towards the
Sun" is more active, but pursues a similarly meditative mien, with trance
synths straight out of the Fax catalog mixed with the flute from
"Icon." Finally, "Slowly
Beating Wings" begins with a lovely mellotron and opens out into an
infinite vista of electronic arpeggios and synth harmonies. This is the most dramatic track on the album,
bringing thoughts of ancient earth, early humans, and bright sunlight over
desert.
Ellis makes an intrepid attempt to bring the spiritual into
sequencing, with varying results on The Sacred Ordinary. While the successful tracks are active and
interesting, the spiritual flavor often seems to be no more than another
instrument or sound in Ellis's arsenal.
Naturally, the sequences tend to overpower other characteristics on the
album, which is fine for work of this type, but seems to lessen the impact of
elements like the harmonic singing on "Cascade." That said, the sequences and synthwork here
are top notch--sure to please any fan of modern synthesis. While The Sacred Ordinary
is not quite a seamless blend of ambient and Berlin School,
there are more than enough touches of each to please fans of both styles
(though the tone of the album tends to favor sequencing over
atmospherics). For my own part, I'd love
to see Ellis branch into pure ambience--the few tracks in this style here are a
fine taster of what an album of that nature would be like. As with the previously mentioned
Life Sequence, there is little on The Sacred Ordinary
that will convince naysayers of the Berlin
School to change their
opinions. However, they'd also be
missing a very entertaining and diverse work that often manages to transcend
the boundaries of its genre as it attempts to reach ever higher into the
stratosphere.
Reviewed by Brian
Bieniowski reprinted here on Ambient Visions.
Visit Brian's
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