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James
Johnson is, without question, one of the most interesting and prolific practitioners of classic Eno-esque ambience currently
making music today. I know of no other artist devoted to Eno-style ambient drift that succeeds so dramatically, without betraying
his influences. While the echoes of past masters' works clearly inform Johnson's music, he has created his own voice within
this template: creating ambient that reminds of memorable classic releases but retains Johnson's own distinct flavor.
Johnson has released three new discs in the past months, all in a minimalist, atmospheric vein. They fit well together as
a triptych, and thus I will review all three at once.
Linger may be familiar to Johnson listeners due to its earlier release as an MP3.com D.A.M. disc. This release
went out of print, so Johnson wisely chose to reissue it as a newly mastered disc (the D.A.M. CD suffered from murkier sound
due to its MP3 nature). I'm glad to see this surface--I've always felt it to be one of Johnson's best and most memorable
discs. Linger has changed slightly with its reissue--the track "Floating and Dreaming" has been omitted to allow the
release of the new "Twilight Impressions" (each of the other tracks are trimmed slightly to allow the new track to fit on
the disc). I was saddened to see the former go, but the new track is just as interesting and beautiful (as well as a collaboration
with Toronto's dreamSTATE). "Linger" begins the disc with a long, murky track of On Land-style hushed ambience.
This is a deep, rainy atmosphere with faint gonging chimes and inexplicable sounds that conjure up images of soft, desolate
moors or fields in chilled winter. Somehow these deserted areas are beautiful, perhaps due to their timeless, unpeopled nature,
giving them a glow of magic amongst lifelessness. The strengths of On Land are heavily evident on this track. Next,
we have the before-mentioned "Twilight Impressions" which shifts the tone considerably from the natural to a more synthetic
and spaced-out environment. Fans of the driftier selections in the Silent Records catalog (for example, The Heavenly Music
Corporation's excellent Anechoic) will find much to enjoy here as impressively resonant synth slices dazzlingly meld
with Johnson's echoed synth (similar to that heard on Minimum). This track was created more recently than the rest
of Linger, and it shows. It fits comfortably with the rest of the album: its pleasures are evident and I'm glad to
see it released. Eventually, the track morphs down to a harmonic driftscape as guitar tones and subdued vocalizations push
the track through zones of light and opacity. Next is the stunning "Riding the Fog Line" which starts with gorgeous synth
tones and Johnson's signature angelic synth-choir (heard on Unity, as an example). This psychedelic melange is accompanied
by a groove that chugs along at clipper-ship speed. This is not at all cloying, and fits well with the ambience--the mixture
gives the impression of speeding along aboard a swift skimmer along the ocean's edge; leaving only vapor trail and ocean surf
in our wake. This is a perfect combination of Johnson's more kinetic synthworks and his subtle atmospheric flavors, and is
absolutely a highlight of Johnson's total work. Next is "Siren Song," a traditional instrumental piano piece similar to "Remembrance"
on Surrender. Again, gorgeous work proving Johnson can channel Harold Budd, as well as Brian Eno, without sounding
hackneyed. Finally, we have "Frequency Shift" (now blended in with the previous track) which is quite similar to "Riding
the Fog Line" but without the groove. Here Johnson gives us a slice of pure atmospheric drift, a lovely compliment to the
rest of the album which oscillates from natural to synthetic, but is always gorgeous.
Three years passed before Echoes was released and time has surely changed Johnson's work into a different, though
related, beast. According to the liner notes, Johnson has created a system to randomly generate "soundfields" with elements
Johnson has previously recorded. Similar to Eno's Discreet Music, these systems then create ambient music in ever-shifting
structures. While this concept is interesting, listening to Echoes often leaves me with the feeling that these tracks
are a bit "samey"--though the input is human, often the output is less stunning than its constituent parts. "Echoes" is a
great start, with almost Paul Schutze percussives adjoined with bassy tones, pretty synth-ambience, and the occasional piano
texture. This particular piece feels quite composed--I was unable to determine that the sources were randomly placed since
everything seemed so perfectly synched. Not so with "Rosetta Bloom" which has somewhat piercing, echoed synth textures blipping
along with randomly scattered synth ambience. The parts never do quite gel here, with a randomness that makes the sonic environment
a bit more chaotic than soothing. "Eastern Haze" is more successful, though it relies on echoed synth sequences that often
cloy the pretty ambient backing material. While "Riding the Fog Line" had a groove that enhanced the ambience, this particular
(though light) groove tends to overpower the gorgeous things going on "behind the action." The synth does not vary considerably
over the fifteen minutes, making for something of a Phyrric victory--the ambient undertones are interesting enough to keep
the listener's attention, but the overlying groove is just a little too "in your face" for comfort. Next is "A Subtle Conjuring"
which brings the album to a more evocative place--this magician works with subterran synth that weaves around the listener's
body as it lulls into an opiate sleep. This is a highlight of Echoes, as the Eastern-tinged ambience brings to light
an ancient feeling of torch-lit catacombs and hushed ceremonies deep in stone caverns. A fantastic direction. "Mandala Wave"
is lighter, with a synth twinkle that leads into an unexpected synth tone groove in a Gamelan style. Further echoes of a
more ambient Paul Schutze here. Finally, "Samadhi" offers a strikingly resonant ambient driftwork for consumption; one that
I would gladly bask in for an hour's length. "Samadhi" is an almost indescribably excellent ambient piece with different
textures and sounds that blend seamlessly over its length. There is an Eastern flavor here as well, as we travel through
the different Bardos of existence, lulled along through the ether. I can't think of a finer way to close this work. While
Echoes has more than enough moments of sublime beauty to satisfy this listener, I can't help but believe that the underlying
concept behind the tracks tended to prevent them from achieving the ecstatic heights of Johnson's previous work. Still, there
is much to recommend, especially the impressive drift of the album closer (which, in my opinion, would have made a stunning
album length work).
A minor music-nerd nitpick: both Linger and Echoes come packaged in DVD cases. While this allows for an aesthetically
pleasing experience in regard to cover art, it sacrifices disc portability. I'm not crazy about the relatively small size
of CD jewel cases, but this doesn't seem to me to be an adequate substitute.
Finally, we have a nearly thirty-minute confection from Johnson in the form of an EP. Environment 1, Chinatown - New
York is the beginning of a series of atmospheric impressions from different physical environments. Fans of Johnson's
Entering Twilight will be pleased to hear this is a subtly shifting work of the highest order as randomly scattered
source recordings mix with beautiful synth textures. While the piece remains largely static throughout its length, it still
manages to progress over a half hour, waxing and waning as the listener is lulled into a zen-like place amidst all the chaos
of New York's bustling Chinatown. In my experience, Chinatown has never been as peaceful as this--Johnson has managed to
distill a sense of place while never overpowering the listener with cloying field recordings. Listening to Environment
1 is rather like occupying a trance-state while traversing one of the planet's most people-clogged areas. In total, this
is a sublime work that is well suited to the EP length. I'm glad to see ambient/atmospheric artists rediscover the EP in
their work, as it allows ideas that might not suit album length to flower to fruition nonetheless. This is an intriguing
series, well worth attention--I'm interested to see future destinations Johnson will explore sonically.
Once again, Johnson has proven himself an ambient artist rooted in tradition, but willing to experiment to the highest degrees
within the niche. In my opinion, Linger is an essential work of modern ambient music--I don't think you'll find a
better example of traditional ambient sound transcended into modern context. Echoes, while less successful by far,
still has much to offer, though perhaps only to Johnson fanatics rather than the casual ambient listener. The process works
are interesting, but never seem to ascend to the heights of past Johnson work. Finally, Environment 1 is a fabulous
beginning to an intriguing series; one that I find myself returning to frequently and with great pleasure. Fans of drifting
ambience can find no better work from the last year.
All three CDRs are available directly from Johnson's webstore Atmoworks.
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