Andrew Chalk • Crescent (Robot Records, 1999)

Outside, behind the whistling of the wind are the sounds of my local church bell ringing 5pm. Or is that more discreet sounds coming from Andrew Chalk's CD Crescent? It's hard to tell. I don't wish to stop the music, for fear that the new iTunes wont start again. There seems to be some problems with the latest upgrade...such is science. I remember when the removal of the Margolis parasite caused paralysis in over 90 percent of those afflicted. In our quest to save the patients life we had thought it wise to remove all of the creature. Being that the thing was using parts of the host for it's own body mass, you would just spend time in the operating room cutting away...eventually hitting nerves where the worms tendrils had wrapped around...that sometimes is the problems of progress. We know now that if we just held back and waited, the worm would come out by itself, with just the slightest of scarring to the host.
Progress is not the problem here on this CD. This is perhaps near perfect melding of ambient sounds with that of melody. While there is in operation here Chance Music, nothing sounds haphazard. Little melodies come forward, only to be layered underneath ambient sound. At moments it seems like your listening to a movie, and then without warning you're in the movie. Even though it was predated by Eno's Ambient 4: On Land, and as is often the case the first of an idea is the best. Chalk has improved on the notion of Ambient music, by bringing in the sounds of outside life. Also present on this recording is David Jackman and Christoph Heemann, who's own unique takes on sound are felt. Jackman contributes his Japanese flute playing, and Heemann remixes.

Please click on the review title for sample track: Harvest