The Squid's Ear
Writing about improvised, contemporary, experimental and unusual music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!



The Squid's Ear




Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Rhodri Davies 
  An Air Swept Clean of all Distance
  (Amgen Records) 


  
   review by John Eyles
  2021-08-31
Rhodri Davies: An Air Swept Clean of all Distance (Amgen Records)

Studio-recorded in Newcastle upon Tyne at the end of January 2014, harpist Rhodri Davies' solo album An Air Swept Clean of all Distance was originally issued on the Alt. Vinyl label in a limited edition of 500 transparent green vinyl LPs, of which 250 were included in the four-LP Alt. Vinyl box set Pedwar alongside Davies' three other very different solo albums, the transparent red vinyl Trem (2002), black vinyl Over Shadows (2007) and clear vinyl Wound Response (2012). Although such collectable items soon sold out, this album has been available ever since via Bandcamp. Nonetheless, it has now been reissued, the first time it has appeared on CD. Despite the shift to CD, the album still shows signs of its origins as a long player, its fourteen tracks running for just under forty minutes, with the closing track, "On the Outer Reach of the Unending", being the only one to top four minutes, and three of the tracks not reaching two minutes.

Despite the tracks' relative brevity, playing lap harp throughout, Davies managed to get a great deal of music into each one without any of them ever feeling rushed or cramped. Although the harpist plays at considerable speed on some tracks, they never sound cluttered thanks to his technical dexterity combined with excellent recording clarity which allows each note to be heard clearly without blurring. Once he hits a rhythmic groove, Davies is prone to repetition and development of phrases, to thrilling effect. At times it feels as if he has tapped into African traditions of harp playing. Whatever one's expectations of an album of solo harp playing, this album has the capacity to subvert them.

Incidentally, on YouTube are seven Davies' collaborations with film makers each of whom added visuals to a different track from this album, thus giving them a different dimension. Just like the album itself, well worth checking out.







Comments and Feedback:



More Recent Reviews, Articles, and Interviews @ The Squid's Ear...


The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Marty Ehrlich/
Julius Hemphill:
Circle the Heart
[CD + DOWNLOAD]
(Relative Pitch)



John Butcher:
Away, I Was
[CD + DOWNLOAD]
(Relative Pitch)



Joel Futterman:
Absorb
[DIGITAL RELEASE]
(Squid Note Records)



Joel Futterman:
Reflective
[DIGITAL RELEASE]
(Squid Note Records)



Rainer Jancis/
Elliott Sharp:
Uhhuu
(zOaR Records)



Memphis Metaphysics (
Moses/
Westgaard/
Oswald/
Edmaiston/
Cheli):
Memphis Metaphysics
(Sonic Transmissions Records)



Steve Lehman Trio +
Mark Turner:
The Music of
Anthony Braxton
(Pi Recordings)



John Cage:
Chamber Works 1943-1951
(Another Timbre)



Fieldwork (
Iyer/
Lehman/
Sorey):
Thereupon
(Pi Recordings)



Angharad Davies/
Burkhard Beins:
Meshes Of The Evening
[VINYL]
(NI-VU-NI-CONNU)



Morton Feldman/
GBSR Duo w/ Taylor MacLennan:
Trios
[6 CD BOX SET]
(Another Timbre)



Jessica Williams:
Blue Abstraction:
Prepared Piano Project
1985-1987
[VINYL]
(Pre-Echo Press)



Daniel Levin/
Laurent Estoppey:
Freedom From The Known
[VINYL]
(ezz-thetics by
Hat Hut Records
Ltd)



Kai Fagaschinski:
Aerodynamics
[VINYL 2 LPs]
(NI-VU-NI-CONNU)



Liz Allbee:
Breath Vessels
[VINYL]
(NI-VU-NI-CONNU)



Kris Davis and
The Lutoslawski Quartet:
Solastalgia Suite
(Pyroclastic Records)



Ernesto Rodrigues/
Guilherme Rodrigues:
Pico
(Creative Sources)



Ernesto Rodrigues/
Ines Ferreira/
Carlos Santos/
Monsieur Trinite:
Cimetiere des Bateaux
(Creative Sources)



Evan Parker/
Andrea Centazzo:
Bullfighting On Ice!
Live In Padova
1977
[VINYL]
(Ictus Remastered Collection)



Alvin Curran/
Andrea Centazzo/
Evan Parker:
Real Time
[VINYL]
(Ictus Remastered Collection)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (35371)