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from WIND and WIRE
written by Bill Binkelman
http://www.windandwire.com
BEN SWIRE
Equilibrium
Foundry EP Series (2002)
Visually conceptualized by the cover art photo of a pristine yet deserted subway platform, the music on Ben Swire's Equilibrium (the first in an EP series from The Foundry) is a blend of moody minimalism and forlorn textures, with enough beats to add an air of cyber-futurism (yet without draping the four selections in any ersatz urban hipness). What all that description means is that this is some sweet stuff - a mixture of laid-back 21st century electronica, kinetic yet accesible rhythms, and atmospheric layers of keyboards that combine to create a cushion of music that is both comforting and lonely.
In fact, I'm fairly confident that Swire intended this music to evoke loneliness, owing to both the front and back cover art (on the back, we see the empty seats/tables of an outdoor café in a mountainous area, with an aerial tram gliding above it - but no people anywhere). The mood throughout Equilibrium is certainly not cheery, but it's not really dismal either. "Interim" begins with a gentle ebbing/flowing tone, which segues into the sound of people taking in the background, a most pleasant melody line played on a synth, and a series of beats (some bass, some clicking, and some scratching). The presence of the voices in the background, which are clearly heard but are indecipherable, evoke the notion of being surrounded by people but yet isolated to the point that we aren't really "part" of anything - merely travellers in a stream of persons. "Departure" (my favorite track on the EP) is more forlorn, with undulating lush drones matched by kinetic cymbal rhythms and shuffling beats. Again, I was struck by how evocative and visual the music is. This cut really fits well with the cover graphic, as I can imagine a deserted underground train speeding along, gliding to a stop at an empty station where no one gets on and no one gets off, then resuming its nocturnal journey. "Knot" starts in an oppressive vein, almost depressingly so. When the drum and bass beats kick in, some of the darkness lifts from the song, but there is still an underlying feeling of subtle despair (and the juxtaposition of the beats with the minor key tonalities and downbeat washes of electronics is fascinating, especially when a series of twinkling bell tones emerge from the shadowy blackness). The EP ends with "Score," perhaps the most mysterious song here. Midtempo rhythms are counterpointed by several different electronic textures, some of which have a deserted carnival feel to them. The beats increase in tempo somewhat as the cut progresses, but even as the intensity builds, Swire maintains enough darkness that the song stays firmly planted in that sonic territory of urban displacement and loneliness.
I can't rave enough about Equilibrium. There's more cool music on this EP than on a lot of full-length ambient CDs. Swire's unique blend of chill-out, futuristic electronica, drum and bass, and dark moody ambient music are the perfect sonic backdrop for visual excursions into the 21st century world of William Gibson fans. Think of this as travelogue music for the empty streets of a neo-modern metropolis, illuminated by a combination of fading sunlight and neon. Swire's EP is absolutely one of the best releases in recent memory.
review by Bill Binkelman
WIND and WIRE
http://www.windandwire.com/ben_swire.htm