... the release revealed itself as a thoroughly engaging, extremely intelligent suite of pieces that exude confidence and truly pull the listener in.
“Triptych” features three longish-form pieces … there or about 30 minutes each … that follow a rather unique pattern – poetry underpinned by heady, electronic soundscapes formed through field recordings, ambient guitar, and manipulation.
The imagination that is poured into these pieces is obvious for all to hear. The music provided is as deeply immersive as a sound recording of the very busy Phnom Pen can be … a sonic milieu of traffic, people and noise … crafted through clever manipulation into these rich, vibrant soundscapes that loop and morph whilst underpinning some lovely ambient guitar and Bywater‘s expression.
I’m not a big fan of spoken-word but Scott Bywater’s deliver is a delight … his stream-of-consciousness presentation with a low-key Antipodean accent is easy to follow and rather hypnotic … helped by the combination of music (especially guitar), beats, and field-recordings that form the walls-of-sound that back him.
These are pieces that require commitment … you cannot dip in and out of them, you need to listen from start to finish … I certainly found that when I did, I was richly rewarded. In fact, this is the kind of music I would absolutely love to hear live … it has a live vibe about it. I can only imagine the audio/visual experience this could be with visuals projected on stage as WASH played. There is something very visual about their music!
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