Simon Scott - Navigare

EX SLOWDIVE MEMBER'S DEBUT FOR MIASMAH !
Key Selling Points:
- Future shoegaze music? Simon Scott’s ambitious debut Miasmah release is
way too forward-thinking to classify in such diminutive terms...
- Processed guitar and undefinable sound sources create a soundtrack that’s
as heavenly and uplifting as it is dark…an incredible sonic journey.
- For fans of the Miasmah back catalogue, Fennesz, My Bloody Valentine,
Jesu, The Sight Below, Simon Scott’s own Kesh Recordings releases, and of
course, Slowdive.
- ‘Navigare’ marks a fresh direction for Erik Skodvin’s flawless Miasmah
imprint, and takes the label into new musical territory.
- Both the CD and the limited edition vinyl version feature a different
exclusive closing track. Act accordingly to avoid disappointment...

Info: Simon Scott has a notable musical past: in the early 90's he was the
drummer for the renowned shoegaze band Slowdive, whose acclaimed 'Souvlaki'
album is still considered by many to be one of a handful of landmark
releases from that scene. Upon leaving Slowdive he formed the experimental,
and more electronic-based group Televise. He also set up his own label, Kesh
Recordings, and has so far released titles by the likes of Hannu, Sebastian
Roux, Aus and Mark Templeton. More recently Scott has been involved in
several diverse projects, including his work as a member of Seavault (with
Antony Ryan from Isan), and collaborations with Machinefabriek, Jasper TX
and Emmanuele Errante, offering live guitar treatments, providing remix work
and in turn being remixed himself. Regular appearances alongside Rafael
Anton Irisarri as the live incarnation of The Sight Below (Ghostly
International), have seen the duo enthralling audiences with their submerged
post-Chain Reaction guitar/techno ambience. With 'Navigare', his debut solo
release for Miasmah, there are shades of Scott's previous output and musical
interests, but as a whole the album marks a bold new direction, taking his
music into new uncharted territory.

   'Navigare' opens with ‘Introduction of Cambridge’, a shimmering wall of
sound, its ethereal tones and slow burning drones gradually drawing closer
and closer, creating gorgeous uplifting melodies and textures. The processed
guitar combined with gentle swathes of interference and underlying rhythms
echoes the processes of Chain Reaction's productions as much as it does the
screeching, arcing feedback lines of Kevin Shield's guitar work. If this is
to be considered 'shoegaze' in any way, it's certainly a giant step in
possibilities...this album is way too forward-thinking to be pigeonholed so
easily. ‘Navigare’ shares an affinity with the melodic content of Fennesz's
work, the dark beauty of Tim Hecker's sound, and houses elements of the
restraint found in Andrew Chalk's drone compositions.

   What really devastates here is Scott's ability to merge ambient passages
with such memorable melodic cycles, taking at times the simplest of ideas
and building on them, generating murky hooks and submerged 'riffs' -
melodies are initially buried beneath a haze of sound, and then over time
are lifted to the forefront. Scott explores textures using a variety of
instruments including sitar, violin, cello, and flute, merging them with
excerpts of field recordings; it all sounds so effortless. The looping
rhythms and slow guitars rise and grow, at times approaching something
oppressive; select pieces such as ‘Flood Inn’ house an underlying weight,
comparable to Justin K. Broderick's Jesu and Final projects. Perhaps the
hazy drums, bass and guitar drift of ‘The ACC’ presents the most
recognizable of stylistic qualities from Scott’s back catalogue; a groove
that recalls the ‘Souvlaki’ era sound in all its glory, reimagined in a new,
darker and more expansive form.

   There is a less academic, more 'organic' approach to composition here
than the recent, equally spectacular run of Miasmah titles, which include
Elegi's 'Varde' and Kreng's 'L'Autopsie Phénoménale De Dieu'. As such, fans
of the label will no doubt be enthralled by the diversity. Additionally, a
guest appearance from label mate Jasper TX, a vocal contribution from
Moskitoo (12K), and a track co-written with Rafael Anton Irisarri (also of
Miasmah), adds even more depth to Scott’s already ambitious vision. Simon
Scott's 'Navigare' marks a new chapter in the development of Erik Skodvin's
impeccable imprint; a sound at once in keeping with the label's identity,
but equally something of a shift in style and approach. Its harrowing beauty
opens up the possibilities of new sonic landscapes created by Scott, in what
seems to be a deeply personal instrumental journey. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!

Track listing: CD
1) Introduction of Cambridge 2) Under Crumbling Skies 3) Flood Inn 4)
Derelict Days
5) Repulse 6) The ACC 7) The Old Jug And Drum 8) Ashma 9) Spring Stars
Exclusive CD track 10) The Night And The Artificial Light

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