 |
|
Cyclobe, "Sulphur-Tarot-Garden"
Currently only available as limited edition CD-R (though there are plans for a regular CD/vinyl release soon), these three soundtracks for short films of Derek Jarman have provided Stephen Thrower and Ossian Brown plenty of inspiration following their superb album Wounded Galaxies Tap at the Window of last year. Some of the same textures and moods are revisited but it is already possible to hear that Cyclobe are developing creatively at an unprecedented rate. Between Wounded Galaxies… and this, they have completely met, exceeded, and destroyed any expectations I may have had of them.
 
Unfortunately, I have never seen the three films featured here so how Cyclobe’s sounds actually pair with the images are beyond the scope of this review. However, given the group’s musical pedigree and love for avant garde cinema, I can only imagine that they suit each other perfectly. Bearing that in mind, the music on its own is intoxicating. "Sulphur" is a stuttering, blurry composition that slowly ripples the air like a dream. The shuddering electronic aura is punctuated by Cliff Stapleton’s eerie hurdy-gurdy, the music shifting like a fog that has suddenly becomes too dense to see through.
With "Tarot," there is a very different take on the mood with Stapleton’s hurdy-gurdy sounding more like some kind of desert serpent. Mike York also joins in on bagpipes to create a fantastic, slow melody. A web of gurgling electronics and dramatic piano chords frames Stapleton and York’s intense performance, all the constituents coming together to form one of the best few minutes of music I have yet heard from Cyclobe. Though, "Garden of Luxor" is definitely in strong contention for that accolade too. Drifting glacially from note to note, the piece slowly builds into a decadent, vaguely Egyptian theme which finishes off with regal poise. The end result is something resembling the music of Coil's "Tenderness of Wolves" but without the menace.
This is an essential EP that not only deserves a wider distribution but also should come as a DVD with Jarman’s films included. Considering both David Tibet’s new group Myrninerest and Coil have previously composed music for Jarman’s Journey to Avebury and of course Throbbing Gristle’s soundtrack to In the Shadow of the Sun, there is plenty of material out there for a decent DVD set. In the meantime, I will have to just enjoy this sublime music on its own which luckily is no great hardship.
samples:
 
