Musicians
don't come much more multi-talented than Chris Conway, he's released many different
kinds of albums including Jazz, World Music/Fusion, New Age, Songs, and EM; not
only that but he's also been a guest musician on many other albums. Scanning Planet
3 is the first of two EM albums, both of which feature the theremin amongst other
instruments. The title is a reference to our planet Earth (the third from the
sun) and the music seems to be from the perspective of aliens scanning our world.
An
album utilising the sound of the theremin can take a bit of getting used to thanks
to its weird and somewhat alien "wailing" quality, though this instrument
is mainly used in the opening and closing minutes. It should thus come as no surprise
that this is not a typical EM or spacemusic work, instead of going for rhythmic/melodic
or floating/drifting motifs Chris has gone for a more experimental collage of
impressions rendered in sound.
The
music is delivered as a continuous whole over one, nearly hour length, track -
of the same name as the album title. Over the course of the track the sounds change
as the scanning of our planet shifts its focus, sometimes the soundscape is filled
with effects - often of a distorted nature where the listener may recognise sounds
from life and activity. There are some melodic parts too, notably a light and
hypnotic melody (possibly played on the dulcimer) about thirteen minutes in that
makes one think of good things as subdued wordless vocals provide a faint backdrop.
By
the end of the album it feels like the sounds we've heard have run a fair way
through the gamut of Earth bound emanations of nature, human voices and transmissions,
industrial activity (there's a stretch starting about twenty four minutes in that
has a driving industrial rhythm) and even strife.
Scanning
Planet 3 is a good addition to any EM collection, it takes a bit of getting used
to but is worth the effort when one looks past the weirder elements.
Dene
Bebbington
