Let me restate quite plainly that I don't have a problem with Scott's opinion, for I respect his opinion if he does not personally enjoy something. 'Speaking one's mind' is surely not the problem here. That is not the reason for my debate with him. The problem I have is that he holds his own opinion in such a high esteem that he allows himself to belittle those who don't share the same opinion. He has some irrational contempt for those who have found enjoyment from the experimental aspects of Manafon, Blemish or the present projects that Sylvian is working on. In addition to the plenty of snide comments from him that support this observation, he appears to have inadvertently admitted it within this very same thread.
It seems that Scott joined this forum right after the release of Manafon with the full intent of disrupting any positive dialogue between those who were interested. He came out firing from the very first post. I have no doubt that he will continue with the dismissive remarks with Sylvian's next release. I simply feel that it should be very easy to express one's opinion without be derisive. Scott has no interest in being civil. He has blatantly shown that.
I'll do my very best to say no more about this. But it may be hard, because I believe Scott's modus operandi is designed mainly to provoke.
missouriman wrote:I would be very happy if something came out along the lines of the "A certain slant of light" and "Jacqueline".
On the subject of 'Jacqueline': I know that most fans would be wondering about the name Jacqueline, but any time I would listen to that track, for some reason I would find myself fixated on the first line --- "The Big Man came"....I was sure that the line reminded me of some other song but I couldn't recall which one. So there I would be wracking my brain to the point where I hardly would pay any heed to the song itself...."The Big Man came"??? .....hmmmm....what is Sylvian referring to?....had he made a similar reference in another song?....perhaps he is quoting a poem?....I knew that the line struck me as very familiar... alas, nothing concrete would come to mind....I'd let it go by that point. But this was every time I would play this track.
So the other day I was listening to Herbie Hancock's tribute to Joni Mitchell and lo and behold, the second tune is a version of Mitchell's "Edith And The Kingpin" sung by Tina Turner. The first line...."The Big Man arrived". It's a great song on a great album by Mitchell called "The Hissing Of Summer Lawns". I have my scratchy vinyl, but no victrola so it's been quite a while since I listened to that song. But there it is. Now I had my answer and I can finally give Sylvian song the attentive listen it deserves rather than obsessing on an opening line.
I am not sure if I am that fond of songs like Jacqueline as a compelling direction, but if Sylvian decides to find inspiration in Mitchell's unique blend of folk and jazz and he utilizes similar alternate tunings to the degree that she does, then I would have to be on board.
To get back to the topic of Manafon, I actually consider that album to be some experimental avant garde form of old English folk music...especially in the vocal melodies and also certain subject matter of the lyrics. Due to the minimalist accompaniment, the obvious signposts of folk music are not detectable in the music but the stark nature of the music created by the electro-acoustic artists afforded Sylvian a greater range of freedom with his melodies. And to my ears, Sylvian seemed very much in tune with the acoustic elements of the improvisations and took a surprisingly folkish turn with his creative melodies.
So if he delves into folkier sounds, he'll definitely do it with his unique style so I think we'd find it all very acceptable. Sylvian has mentioned that he has found enjoyment from creating these simple 'miniatures'. Perhaps that will be a direction he possibly takes further after following through on the forthcoming projects with Dai Fujikura and the string quartet from the International Contemporary Ensemble.