Simon Bainton: Sun Settings
Hibernate

In his contribution to Hibernate's “Postcard Series,” Simon Bainton, one-half of the duo Pausal, merges acoustic instrumentation and electronics with field recordings taken from various locations on the island of Anglesey, North Wales during August 2009. In this case, the field recordings aren't mere ornamentation but instead suffuse Bainton's transporting musical contents with a powerful sense of place; so evocative, in fact, is Sun Settlings one almost feels the fresh air, morning dew, and sun-dappled fields of the setting emanating forth from the EP's seven tracks. The three-inch disc opens strongly with “Arrival,” a lovely setting of becalmed, piano-based entrancement, before a seamless segue leads into “Fry Aquatic,” the EP's pastoral ambiance perpetuated by the piece's wavering tones and micro-flutter. As the recording makes its way from the cool shimmer of “Baroque Begins At Home” to the haunting call of “Going Home Drone,” each track flows into the next, resulting in an ambient sound portrait of ultra-peaceful and serenading character. Though it's a mere twenty minutes in duration, the recording nevertheless shows Bainton to be masterful in the manner by which he weaves diverse source materials into an artistic whole.

August 2011