Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
310's most accessible record to date, 28 Nov 2003
If it wasn’t enough with Joseph Dierker living in Seattle and Tim Donovan in Brooklyn, 310 have now recruited a third member, Andrew Sigler, who happens to live in Los Angeles. Distance has always been part of the process in the work of the band, providing them with a wide range of sonic sources. This sixth album sees the band developing their unique sonic landscapes further and explore new musical directions.
Since their first release, 310 have continuously worked at developing beautiful soundtracks built around processed found sounds collected in Tim Donovan’s urban environment and Joseph Dierker’s countryside setting. On Recessional, these elements are as vibrant and rich as ever, and Andrew Sigler’s vocal contributions gives this record a truly human dimension. Athough Sigler is now a fully-fledged member of 310, he already appeared on previous recordings, providing vocals under his Fire/Fly moniker.
Based around themes of cities and oceans, and cleverly articulated around a wide range of sounds, Recessional is a rather peaceful journey through sounds and melodies. The fruit of two years of work, this album shows the band at its most confident yet. Perfectly in control of their art, 310 develop their atmospheric framework over the full length of the record. Although the context has an underlying urban feel in many ways, with street sounds overlapping with excerpts of conversations on a regular basis, the actual melodies and orchestrations tell another story. A calm breeze washes away the dirt and noises of city life and replaces it with beautiful colours and tones. The sweet voice of a child playing, a flock of seagulls spiralling over a stoney beach, an old crackling record: as many touches of life brushing against concrete walls and crowded places, evoking the melancholy of old holiday films. Occasionally, the atmosphere becomes more oppressive (Cloud Rooms, More North Than Portland), and the hip-hop influences of previous albums can still be felt (Shadow Traffic, Night On The Ocean), but here, 310 focus on the more opened and human side of their music. Their urban folk is more adventurous and doesn’t need to refer to any particular point anymore. 310 simply capture life in its most desirable form. Alternating between short sonic vignettes and fully developed compositions, the band patiently develop a soundtrack for warm Autumn days, always keeping the focus on the intrinsic beauty of its components and on the cinematic strength of their music.
310 deliver with Recessional their most mature and accessible piece of work to date. As they continue to perfect their musical environment, the trio broaden their horizon and reaffirm more than ever their sonic identity on a scene often more preoccupied by form than context. Blessed are those given the chance to experience 310.
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