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 | Robert Rich: A Troubled Resting Place (Fathom - 1996) Bringing together some great material, A Troubled Resting Place is a collection of Rich's work which appeared on various compilations between 1993 and 1995, and as such, is highly recommended. |
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The gateway piece here also opened Asphodel's Throne of Drones compilation. The only difference is that The Simorgh Sleeps on Velvet Tongues blended better with those other drones. Here it stands out-- a bit harsher, a little darker, less organic and more alien -- than some of Rich's trademark pieces. Nothing wrong with its long insectile roar, mind you. Calling by Stormlight opens with a mid-tempo rhythm from a (ceramic?) bell and long reed-like synth tones. This atmospheric piece slowly flows like a thick desert breeze, with windchime accents and a few percussive bits. The pressure builds, like a storm front moving in, eventually quieting to a few water drips... effectively bridging to the next piece, which opens with droplet sounds. The interestingly-titled Buoyant on Motionless Deluge again floats on synth-strata... long, luxurious sheets of sound. Almost imperceptibly, the air shifts and stirs, totally without percussion. While involving technology and biology, Bioelectric Plasma seems more rooted in acoustic ethnicity and Rich's own musical spirituality. More than 16.5 minutes of eerily hovering synth is very liberally decorated with various "primitive" instruments including shakers and bells. When the mixture thickens and swells, it really could pass for some neo-ritualistic blood music. Depending on your mood, this could be calming or threatening. Strange echoes course through Black Skies. An abstract and spooky outing, with occasional bell-tones and muffled rumblings riding over quietly gliding electronics. Midway through, the bells and background become more musical and the percussion sounds like the chatter of dozens of unknown creatures. A four-part track, totalling more than 20 minutes, Night Sky Replies closes this collection. Droning flute sounds stretch across the opening movement "A Ripple of Sand" which subtly gives way to the next, slightly deeper phase, "Night Spinning Inward". The waves become more delineated and louder, a slow boil of horn and synth. This "part" runs for 5.69 (?) quieting down and becoming "A Wheel Questions the Ground", which clatters with clunking bamboo, watery echoes and the meandering warbles of an Eastern flute. From the distance a symphonic wall of sound emerges, signalling the arrival of "The Night Sky Replies". Interlaced with glass and drumskin percussion and synthetic wails, the piece resonates with darkness and power, eventually fading to silence...
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| I suggest that this could be a great introduction to Robert Rich's vast body of work. A Troubled Resting Place covers a wide range of Rich's sounds, with plenty examples of his "organic" and "tribal" influences. Definitely recommended! I'm giving it Two Up for overall Rich-ness! |  |
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