COLIN FISHER - Reflections of the Invisible World
Halocline Trance HTRA017
Colin Fisher (guitar, saxophone, electronics)
No recording information
Canadian multi-instrumentalist Colin Fisher has recorded an album that intersects jazz, ambient and electronica. On the opening number, ‘Zero Experience,’ slow-moving waves of rippling sound wash over your ears and the effect is like listening to music whilst floating under water. It’s a peaceful, restful soundscape – what used to be called ‘chill-out’ music. ‘Salient Charm’ has a country feel with a picked guitar sounding like a banjo, accompanied by fiddle-like sounds. ‘Monadic Mirror,’ is another flowing, rippling soundscape with repeated phases that suggest a forward motion. Like a church organ heading towards a triumphant climax, the sound builds in intensity before coming to a cliff-edge ending. It’s a lovely track.
‘Double Image,’ reminds me of David Bowie’s ‘Subterraneans,’ from his ‘Low’ album, with a wailing saxophone playing over an atmospheric electronic backdrop. ‘Coalescence,’ starts with an extended stretch of double-tracked picked guitar, which is then accompanied by rapidly repeating electronic notes that sound like a frenetic morse code message. Light, airy guitar lines join the mix and the sound increases in intensity before more picked guitar gently draws it to a conclusion. ‘Unchanging Awareness,’ is like mist slowly moving across a barren landscape, with the keening sound of a saxophone intertwining with ethereal-sounding guitar phrases. On the closing ballad ‘Sanctum,’ Fisher combines bluesy sax lines with guitar arpeggios, sometimes in call-and-response phrases.
Jazz-electronica is dismissed by some as ‘elevator music,’ or ‘background music,’ but on this album, Fisher has created music to listen to. It took me on an immersive, emotional journey, and one I enjoyed very much.
Reviewed by George Cole
Halocline Trance HTRA017
Colin Fisher (guitar, saxophone, electronics)
No recording information
Canadian multi-instrumentalist Colin Fisher has recorded an album that intersects jazz, ambient and electronica. On the opening number, ‘Zero Experience,’ slow-moving waves of rippling sound wash over your ears and the effect is like listening to music whilst floating under water. It’s a peaceful, restful soundscape – what used to be called ‘chill-out’ music. ‘Salient Charm’ has a country feel with a picked guitar sounding like a banjo, accompanied by fiddle-like sounds. ‘Monadic Mirror,’ is another flowing, rippling soundscape with repeated phases that suggest a forward motion. Like a church organ heading towards a triumphant climax, the sound builds in intensity before coming to a cliff-edge ending. It’s a lovely track.
‘Double Image,’ reminds me of David Bowie’s ‘Subterraneans,’ from his ‘Low’ album, with a wailing saxophone playing over an atmospheric electronic backdrop. ‘Coalescence,’ starts with an extended stretch of double-tracked picked guitar, which is then accompanied by rapidly repeating electronic notes that sound like a frenetic morse code message. Light, airy guitar lines join the mix and the sound increases in intensity before more picked guitar gently draws it to a conclusion. ‘Unchanging Awareness,’ is like mist slowly moving across a barren landscape, with the keening sound of a saxophone intertwining with ethereal-sounding guitar phrases. On the closing ballad ‘Sanctum,’ Fisher combines bluesy sax lines with guitar arpeggios, sometimes in call-and-response phrases.
Jazz-electronica is dismissed by some as ‘elevator music,’ or ‘background music,’ but on this album, Fisher has created music to listen to. It took me on an immersive, emotional journey, and one I enjoyed very much.
Reviewed by George Cole
