Lawrence English - Kiri Ni Oto

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

4...according to our Mike on Wed 20 Apr, 2011.

Originally released on CD in 2008, this album has finally been pressed on vinyl too. It's highly textured ambient drone which really comes into its own on tracks like 'White Spray' where the environmental source samples are vaguely perceptible over the rumble and hiss of the track, suggesting melodies and rhythms without them feeling spoonfed. The drones here are constant, with some really glassy treble sounds. A fine piece of work; it makes me want to stroke my beard and gaze thoughtfully out of the window, doped up to the gills.

There's no doubt that Lawrence English has been responsible
for some of the best drone compositions in the past decade, but
with Kiri No Oto he unleashed his magnum opus. It's a stunning
album on every level. English blends an array of natural and
unnatural sources into a living document that is constantly
captivating and engages the listener on many levels. This is a
work set apart from much of English's discography, but still
blanketed by his exquisite attention to detail that keeps
everything in its right place. Originally released as a CD on the
Touch label, Kiri No Oto finds a new lease on life etched into
wax.

Album opener “Organs Lost at Sea” leaves nothing to chance.
From the first saturated chords, you are enveloped in Kiri's aural
landscape. Towering drones get weighted down with fuzz,
overpowering the fog that's present throughout the record. It's
like hearing the hum of the Earth released from its cage for the
first time. Flowing seamlessly into the quieter but no less
imposing “Soft Fuse,” there's never a chance to catch your
breath. English is content to overrun your ears. “Waves Sheer
Light” catches you by the wings and lifts you high into the
clouds. This is what floating sounds like. It's an enchanted and
dizzying experience.

This is music that is timeless in the literal sense. You get lost
within these sonic walls, unsure if you've been swimming there
for hours or only a few minutes. This is especially true on the
underwater gauziness of “Figures Lone Static.” It feels endless.
“White Spray” plies similar ground with bits and pieces of
electric harmonics peaking through the static every so often
acting as beacons to find your way. I'm content to get lost here.

As the album comes to a close on the cathartic “Oamura,”
Lawrence English's job is done. He has taken you on a
dynamic journey and kept you riding on eternal highs. When the
melodic tones finally get overtaken by the sound of ocean
waves it is simply time to flip it over and start the experience
again.