Although Phil Knight's intermittant solo albums are much less structured and moreorganic than the work he does with the Legendary Pink Dots, they might answersome questions about his work. Beta-Lactam Ring
LPD fans might be excused for sometimes wondering justwhat the heck Philip Knight does. We know he picked up his"Silverman" moniker in the early '80s and spent his public time onstage with the Pink Dots, fiddling with odd electronic instruments,triggering samples, and sometimes covering his face with reflectivegreasepaint. Bandmates April Iliffe, Graham Whitehead and EdwardKa-Spel tended to pick out the catchy keyboard lines on stage (whenthey weren't simply pre-recorded). What the hell was TheSilverman doing in the studio, anyway? Did he just make funnynoises for the band?
Nature of Illusion is notonly a double-length expose, but—to help answer the "what does hedo" question—it also contains a witty, pretension-shattering diagramof how the album came together: through the auspices of "Old &Unpredictable" and "Slightly Newer" synthesisers, a "RecordingMachine," and...well, "Water" from the Czech Republic. So now weknow.
There are two long tracks on the first CD. One is busier, has alot of unidentifiable sound sources, and features the wordlessululations of Edward Ka-Spel (who is powered by "Wind," if you believethat handy diagram I mentioned before). Leisurely organ dronesmake up the second track, which is a bit like a Pink Floyd freakoutwith three of the band members out for a half-hour tea break. Thefirst 700 copies of Nature of Illusion also include anhour-long single-track bonus disk ("Woodland Calling") which is anEXTREMELY sparse layer of evolving chimes and bell tones. I'mlistening to it as I write this; it slips in and out of my awareness,and every time I notice it again I get a fresh feeling of relaxedpleasure.
I can't describe this music any better than to say that it is abstract,quiet and slow, unobtrusive and hypnotic, and best listened to whenyou've either got something else on your mind or you are trying toreach a state of total concentration. Its ideas and techniquesare subtle. It is beautiful and challenging, even quieter andmore personal than his previous work. I love it, but then I'vealways enjoyed the "hours of ambiance" genre. I hope to find moretime to listen to Nature Of Illusion while staring at the beautifulcover art. It's an album that will mean even more to me after repeatedlistenings.
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