Sunday, August 5, 2007  10:27 pm 

Robin’s Report from The Forests

In these boring times of tedious, thankless summer jobs, self imposed isolation and beard growing, whilst waiting for my life to begin once again, forests have provided significant solace these last few months. But then forests, immersed and saturated in their own unique mythologies, have always been perfect hideouts for dreamers looking for a place to wile away their time. Lost in the trees, lost in your thoughts, no one has to matter once you’ve walked away from the grey spaces, however momentary the escape may be. Inspired by my woodland jaunts here are some musings. Obviously they have some sort of connection with forests, though perhaps sadly not the kinds of forests we may be too accustomed to, but close your eyes, listen, and you might find yourself there. Oh, to dream.

On the off chance you ever happened to find yourself wondering what it might have sounded like if Can had taken the decision to up sticks and record an album in the middle of the rainforest, ditching their guitars and drums in favour of a saxophone wielded like a snake charmer’s pipe and synthesizers that sound as if they were born out of nature itself, and at the same time adopting the services of an animal choir intent on doing its own sweet thing yet somehow completely connected to the human minds at play? Then wonder no more my friends, because in 1978 a man called Ariel Kalma made that record and called it ‘Osmose’.

Ariel Kalma – Saxo Planetariel

People could call this stuff new age, but frankly they would be wrong, because new age conjures up images of stupid hippies decked out in turquoise trinkets desperately seeking something they will never have the capacity to find, or treatments that involve people drowning in seaweed, avocado, salty lemon grass muddy gloop. Music like this deserves more. I don’t want you to envision healthier looking skin when you hear this. I want you to see Mayan ghosts swaying with their bones in their arms. Designed to soundtrack slowly unravelling minds, crystallizing the moment, I can only sadly imagine, you witness your brain cells turn into tiny phantoms that dance amongst the trees, before drifting towards the sky. Listening to these compositions I refuse to acknowledge Kalma’s intent wasn’t to corrupt, but to caress the human mind. Play it loud and this is madness, not meditation. Whatever the intent behind its creation, I’m just happy to let my psyche drift down the river with this one, and NOT down the plug hole of a swanky spa bathtub.

Tomu Tonttu didn’t actually have anything to do with the sounds on this piece. It is in fact a field recording they made in a very isolated, very mysterious place.

Well, the first statement isn’t entirely true about Tomu Tonttu’s contribution. They did partake in a light bit of strumming, but you have to understand that was only done in order to coax their subjects out of hiding, and attract them to their presence. You see, this place is one inhabited by a plethora of weird and wonderful creatures. Home to birds that have mirrors in place of faces and bodies comprised entirely of glasses. Vultures with umbrellas for bodies, owls with accordion necks, and others with shovels for beaks and hammers for heads. This place is of course Tulgey Woods. A girl called Alice passed through quite some time ago, and nearly lost her sweet, innocent mind. She managed to pull herself together in the end, or at least as far as I’m aware. Anyway when Alice went wandering through Tulgey she managed to unintentionally draw attention to herself, and lo and behold, out of curiosity all the creatures emerged from out of the darkness. Twittering and cooing, clattering and rattling, strangely familiar, and yet equally alien, they perched from branches, and peered out from bushes to view upon her. Alice didn’t really like them much, but that’s because she thought they were just a bit too odd for her tastes. Personally, I just think she was a square. Tomu Tonttu would probably agree.

Tomu Tonttu – Rattus Nativitatis, Part IV

Now, stop looking at this screen, and run for the woods.

labels >> Robin, adventures, forests, turtles

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