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The title of Mr Bessell’s second album comes from a Navaho myth about the sun: each day the sun rides across the sky on a horse, on a clear sunny day the horse would be blue, on a cloudy day white, and on a stormy day black. During the whole assemblage of the result, Dave applied a new, self-built experimental software sequencer on a few tracks as well as the polyphonic Alesis A6 synth. Sonically, the composer concentrated more on adding a melodic focus to many of the tracks alongside the analogue atmospheres and heavily treated guitars of previous work. Even the drum sounds are all analogue synthesized for the occasion. In addition, one will also notice more emphasis on drums or percussion than on “Analogue”. As on the latter, the adventurous, exploratory approach also roams on“Black Horses Of The Sun”, as is the edgy, massive and in-your-face outcome with all hand-made vintage sonic architecture. Moreover, the outcome clearly shows distinct melodic lines got bent out of shape somewhere along the way, coming forward a little unusual but fascinating in places. I for one very much like the gothic flavors and foreboding nature shining through on various occasions, such as on the intriguing “Lament”, “Skyrim” and “Mirror’s Edge”. “Sleepwalker” on the other hand turns out a tad lighter, more structured and accessible, but the firm edge is still there. The various collaborations with Ian Boddy, Liam Boyle and Lyonel Bauchet have led to nice cross-pollination alongside references to the very experimental avant garde classical music Dave composes elsewhere. So if you want another challenging listening experience in the analogue realm, “Black Horses Of The Sun” will reveal many layers with every new spin, so there’s always something new to discover. Fans of Stephen Parsick, Redshift and of course Node should check this out…. |
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