REVIEW: Bill Laswell, Emerald Aether - Shape Shifting (Shanachie)
- Jon Steltenpohl
Bill Laswell's latest album is a remix of some of the best of Shanachie's Celtic acts. Although, if you're a fan of Laswell, you'll know that "remix" hardly describes what Laswell can do at the sound board. The CD is subtitled "Reconstructions of Irish Music - Mix Translations", and the description fits. Emerald Aether:Shape Shifting is really more of a reinterpretation than a simple addition of a house beat. Laswell uses 13 songs from Jerry O' Sullivan, Solas, Karan Casey, Cathie Sullivan, and Matt Molloy as well as one track of his own, and the end result is a remarkably seamless album from start to finish.
Still, I must admit, the first few times I listened to this album, I thought, "Geez, Laswell is reinventing the wheel. How long ago was that Benedictine Monks with a beat album released? Laswell is above this." But that was a superficial observation. After multiple listens, it becomes clear that Laswell's work on Emerald Aether:Shape Shifting has a deeper level. It is restrained and refined. Like Monet or Pollack, Laswell's work doesn't even seem to be art at all at first glance. But, when you take a minute and listen deeper, you feel the shapes and you align the patterns. When you listen to Emerald Aether:Shape Shifting, you won't find yourself singing along. You simply absorb the sounds and the beat. Then later, hours, and even days after listening, you find yourself reliving the melodies, timing your actions to the beats. This is subliminal music.
Of course, not everyone appreciates Monet and Pollack. Subversive artists and debunkers love to get elephants and monkeys to create art to fool the critics, and we're living in an age where you can mix electronica in your living room on a Playstation. But even if you aren't impressed with the beats, Laswell is starting with hand picked Celtic tracks from Shanachie's catalog. That means he's already got great music in his hands. So, even if you don't get what's so special about Laswell's reconstructions, you still have a nice album of Celtic music on your hands.
But, if you can see to the core of what Laswell does, you'll see that beats are added with precision and meaning. Many tracks seem as if they haven't even been touched, and others combine traditional instruments with modern rhythms in a way that seems obvious. Still, creating the obvious is the sign of a true master. It's easy to listen to Emerald Aether:Shape Shifting and say "well, that doesn't sound like anything new." In fact, such an opinion might be justifiable to anyone who considers a beat, a beat. But, if you're part of the headphone crowd who sees beyond the beat and gets into the tiny details, Laswell's latest will keep you listening for hours.
