Manafon - Wire records of 2009

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Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby Blemished on Mon Dec 14, 2009 3:14 pm

In the new edition of The Wire, Manafon is ranked as number 6 in their records of the year.

They write:

"In the follow-up to 2003's Blemish, five years in the making, Sylvian drew on the improvising talents of AMM's John Tilbury, members of Polwechsel (Dafeldecker, Stangl, Moser), Evan Parker, Keith Rowe, Otomo Yoshide, Franz Hautzinger, Sachiko M, Fennesz and more, to create a timbrally subtle set of hermit-like song utterances. We said: "The album's true pleasure comes in the way Sylvian's vocal lines respond to the gravitational tugs and disorientations of the improvisations, abruptly curving into a space, modulating volume shifts..."

There is also a contribution from David in the Musicians' Reflections section that follows.

He says:

"A year of solitude, silence and healing intersected by two rejuvenating periods of travel. In 2009, as in the preceding couple of years, I listened to relatively little music with the exception of contemporary classical, with which I've begun to make lasting connections. A personal and global period of transition with positive steps taken towards recovery. My own recipe is to begin with silence rising to a small, still, sustained voice. Just like starting over"

Nice to hear grudging praise from The Wire after that odd review. Much better still to hear David sounding optimistic and suggesting that he's on a happier track.
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Re: Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby Tim91 on Mon Dec 14, 2009 3:23 pm

This is great to hear :D
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Re: Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby ob8 on Mon Dec 14, 2009 4:29 pm

Davids words always fill me with hope and inspiration, great to hear him in a positive frame of mind, Thanks for the post
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Re: Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby Hawk on Mon Dec 14, 2009 7:23 pm

That's very interesting indeed... David listening to very limited range of music, it any at all... I have often wondered about doing that, as I rely a lot on music for inspiration, maybe I should experiment with omitting that source and looking for it elsewhere...perhaps my artwork would change or improve for the better - become more independent? I have learnt to live without television and that seems to have helped my mindset. Hmmm...... Hawk is contemplating.... Then again, I suppose the aim is by subtracting as many outside influences as possible, everything learnt and muddled within is able to form into some sort of interesting shape.....and I don't think I have learnt enough, or muddled enough, to be able to do that yet. Something of growing older to look forward to! :-)
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Re: Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby Astronaut on Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:47 pm

Blemished wrote:In the new edition of The Wire, Manafon is ranked as number 6 in their records of the year.
There is also a contribution from David in the Musicians' Reflections section that follows.

He says:

"A year of solitude, silence and healing intersected by two rejuvenating periods of travel. In 2009, as in the preceding couple of years, I listened to relatively little music with the exception of contemporary classical, with which I've begun to make lasting connections. A personal and global period of transition with positive steps taken towards recovery. My own recipe is to begin with silence rising to a small, still, sustained voice. Just like starting over"


:smt026 Ah! At long last! What we have all been waiting to hear - DS is finally starting to feel better. Great to hear such positive words: healing, rejuvinating, transition, positve steps and recovery. Although he states that he's been listening to a lot of contemporary classical music, I think he's also been listening to John Lennon!!! (Just Like) Starting Over ... over and over!!!

PS: Thank you Blemished for posting this. XX
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Re: Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby ob8 on Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:50 pm

Manafon has come in just after 50th place in the Boomkat records of 2009, very disappointing considering the amount of dross placed in front on it and the depth of Davids latest work.
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Re: Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby FlyingPig on Tue Dec 22, 2009 8:35 am

I received my Wire yesterday. Strange that they gave a 6th place after the bad review they gave it in October. it wasn't a prolific year in terms of innovation when you look at the top 10. Animal Collective at the 30th spot, was a bit harsh after the fantastic review they gave it. It seems like the Rewind issue is published by another party :o
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Re: Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby inkinthewell on Tue Dec 22, 2009 11:13 am

FlyingPig wrote:I received my Wire yesterday. Strange that they gave a 6th place after the bad review they gave it in October.


The review was by Ian Penman; the 6th place only shows that the majority of the Wire collaborators do not share Penman's opinion on Manafon.
On a weekly movie magazine that I read, there was a complaint about a film that had a really negative review, but a high vote. The editor had to explain that the film was a great favourite with almost everyone at the mag, bar the reviewer.
Anyway, the good thing is that both mags had the guts to publish reviews expressing a 'different' point of view. :smt038
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans - JL 1940-1980
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Re: Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby Foales Arishes on Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:02 pm

It is a good example of the rather pointless nature of reviews... Why should one persons view be used to represent an entire publication? Obviously a high proportion of the editorial staff of The Wire disagrees, hence the 6th place for the year.

I don't mind reading peoples opinions, good and bad [enjoy it in fact], but there has, and always will be, more than a whiff of arrogance surrounding critics and their reviews... I read them, but it would never influence my decision to buy or not, however, it could for some and that always strikes me as wrong.


I wonder if the lasting connections to "contemporary classical" could influence future work? .. pure conjecture of course, what you listen to for pleasure does not mean it has any bearing on one’s own work. I do wonder what specifically though - it would be interesting to know.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone here a very happy and [more importantly] peaceful Christmas. Take care, and I hope the year ahead is a good one for all.
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Re: Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby Tin Bird on Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:32 pm

I agree it is heartwarming to hear David speak of healing and recovery. We all need some of that.
When I cannot sing my heart...I can only speak my mind...
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Re: Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby Blemished on Wed Dec 23, 2009 5:52 am

Foales Arishes wrote:I wonder if the lasting connections to "contemporary classical" could influence future work? .. pure conjecture of course, what you listen to for pleasure does not mean it has any bearing on one’s own work. I do wonder what specifically though - it would be interesting to know.


Yes - I was wondering the same myself...there seem to be links between Manafon and the work of Morton Feldman for example. If David is absorbing a lot of that kind of music I can't see how it won't have a bearing on the sound of things going forward. That said, Tin Drum owes a lot to Stockhausen so who knows how listening habits will play out?!

Merry Christmas everyone and all the best for 2010.
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Re: Manafon - Wire records of 2009

Postby dconnery1966 on Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:24 pm

You will also notice it was no1 album of 2009 on the Mapsadaisical website, which is showing now on the
David Sylvian website.
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