ARTHUR RUSSELL
WORLD OF ECHO
(UPSIDE/ROUGH TRADE, 1986)
Just who the hell was Arthur russell? immersed in the new York avant-garde scene, the Us musician had originally studied indian classical music and experimental composition before collaborating with such diverse talents as Allen Ginsberg, Philip Glass and david Byrne in a career that began in the early 70s. russell worked not only under his own name, but also as dinosaur l and indian ocean, but his creative journey was cut short in 1992 when he died at the age of 40.
Almost everything russell did was individual and unusual. He was prepared to combine pop, disco, classical, tribal, and electronica in a minimalistic and animalistic manner that was sparse and unforgiving. But of all his studio albums, World of echo is the one that makes the most impact.
it was russell’s fourth solo release, and the only one on which he performed everything. There’s nobody else involved on the musical side, which gives the atmosphere a tidal eeriness that makes it seem like the audio equivalent of a david lynch movie.
Throughout the 14 songs that grace the original release (later reissues ran to 18 tracks), there’s an understated electronic pulse in the background that’s never brought to the surface, yet is always obvious. This gives the impression of a coherent flow between tracks that’s both clever and simple. russell also uses echo and distortion production effects as a means to create space in the compositions. While others were bringing in modern technology in a manner that was hampering their artistry, this multi-instrumentalist was involving state-of-the-art science to free himself, and remove the boundaries imposed by conventional instrumentation.
The main musical instrument employed here is the cello, which is wielded with such expertise that it veers from melodic sensibility to outright hostility in the domain of a single track. Witness the way russell flays the cello on she’s The star/i Take This Time, or Being it; the sound cuts through with an orchestral purpose even though it’s merely created by one cello.
Another cunning ploy was for the musician to handle all the vocals himself. He has a chanting style that’s hypnotic and is accentuated by his voice rarely straying from a liner motif. in doing this, russell avoids any transient emotional impact, and ensures a robotic inference that suits the nature of his claustrophobic music. on Tree House, the vocals interact with precise, percussive nuances to provide a hymn of primitive thought as perceived in a cyber world, while see-Through has a cluttered clarity that’s hard to define.
World of echo is a remarkable album that isn’t just progressive, but is also unsettling. it will appeal to anyone with an open mind who embraces non-linear, deviant musical behaviour.