Sound
Plateau
A man of many collaborations, Lawrence English joins fellow Australian sound artist Ai Yamamoto for Plateau, a somber album of impressionist fragments connected more by mood and ambience than by movement and composition. As in his previous work with Tujiko Noriko DJ Olive and Philip Samartzis, English applies a considerable amount of DSP-distilled polish to the ensuing sounds, whether they are textured field recordings, rasping tam-tams or post-Eno dronescapes. Considering that Plateau jumps from tonefloat shimmer to wintry Durutti Column guitar flourishes to a music box palindrome and back to a bout of ominous minimalism, English’s production serves to encase the entire album with a consistent aura. Plateau’s numerous stylistic transitions and melodic interludes never veer far from a compelling if fragile melancholy.