Saturday 25 July 2009

Vanessa Rossetto - 'Dogs in English porcelain'


In recent years there has been a (mostly) fascinating number of releases that in some way capture the daily living environment of the artist involved. Vanessa Rossetto’s ‘dogs in English porcelain’ (on her own music appreciation label) is one such cd & among the most interesting - devoid as it is of the usual boring, uncreative and shallow end of technological showmanship.

It’s best not to think about this disc – don’t read this & listen to it with any ideas. In fact, why bother writing about it at all ? well, for one thing hopefully it’ll tempt a few folks to get hold of a copy .

I don’t much go in for deciphering music / sound so I won’t attempt to fully detail what sounds can be heard. Occasional snatches of Vanessa’s viola, violin, cello & turntable peer out through domestic recordings & various hums, rumbles, crackles, birds, tv and street noise.

Allowing the whole piece to simply occupy ones own listening space offers up a rather private sounding exploration. There is something in the way the recordings are placed together, without manipulation and with a confident disregard for undue polish, that allows Vanessa to communicate something personal & yet fully accessible.

I like the sound of rooms, of living rooms, of empty rooms, of street noises filtered through open windows, of pans boiling on stoves, of people in daily motion. So, for me this release was bound to get the thumbs up. I recommend it without hesitation, especially to those of you who like something of the human from the artist in your music.

A further review is available on Richard Pinnell’s always interesting site here

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