The Silverman - "Blank For Your Own Message"
(Beta-lactam Ring Records 2008, mt208)
The Silverman - "Blank For Your Own Message"
(Beta-lactam Ring Records 2008, mt208)
From Aural Innovations #40 (September 2008)
The first 500 copies of this pressing comes in a specially constructed book-like CD holder that houses the disc. As most of you know, The Silverman {aka Phillip Knight} is the long-time keyboardist of the Legendary Pink Dots (see my live review of the Dots in Aural Innovations, AI #34). He's been there since almost the very beginning. All seven of this CD's tracks are without a title. That usually annoys me a bit, but because the music here is so mind-elevating, I can easily look past that. What the listener gets here are some semi-brilliantly arranged sound pieces - fans of the ambient genre should love this effort. Track #1 has an industrial vibe to it, I thought - sort of like later day Faust. Track #2 features a futuristic sound of slurring drones, as #3 has some fluid electronics, going literally insane, and #4 resembles a low-key unreleased krautrock song that so few would recognize. During the second time I played this CD, I believe I got more out of it. Track #5 was similar to number four. Track #6 reminded me of a possible long lost Guru Guru tune and #7 has The Silverman going all out with bells, chimes and several other instruments I'm not able to identify. There was virtually no info on the front or back cover of this title. I now know that I probably need to seek out other titles put out by The Silverman. Give this one a shot.
For more information you can visit the Beta-lactam Ring Records web site at: http://www.blrrecords.com.
Reviewed by Mike Reed