Bordeaux

Magnificent. If you like Robin's or Harold's past catalog (or the early Ambient work of Budd & Eno, including "The Pearl"), this release is not to be missed. Previously - their last collaborative efforts were well crafted, but it always felt like both men were swapping-out being the lead (stylistically) on every other track (with the other simply following in the background). On this new CD, it is more of a haunting genuine blending of music ideas and nuances - fused together... Harold's fragile voice of treated piano up-front over the ever-present ocean of Robin's distant feedback-layered-guitars completes the union. This collaboration creates aural imagery that is at once nostalgic, yet futuristic: Winds at the end of summer -- The heart of fall in the fires of falling leaves... It was a stroke of genius for Robin to 'stand-down' from his unique tour du force sonic signatures and allow Harold's pale voice to float over the rich darkness of the moment. Clearly these gentlemen came to create an ascended space of beauty without-time among the old vineyards of France. As T.S. Eliot wrote (and could well have said about this music):

"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."

I approached Bordeaux with a lot of enthusiasm and anticipation; it's great to see Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie pool their talents once again. At first listen, the album proved evocative indeed, and was just what I expected: Budd's gauzy synth washes and distant piano meshed with Guthrie's waves of treated guitar. Further listens, however, have dampened my view of Bordeaux, I cannot bring myself to consider this among the best works of either artist.

It's difficult for me to not give Bordeaux high marks, as there's no question it creates almost palpable emotion; it succeeds at translating powerful feeling into sound. For me, it conjures the view of a white beach, with slowly receding surf and wide blue skies above, viewed through diaphanous breeze-blown lace by someone totally alone. The music here is exceptionally beautiful, but with strong melancholy: Guthrie's music in particular has always had more than a tinge of darkness.

My main issue with Bordeaux is that the mood never wavers. From the first moment to the last, it's exactly the same. You're given little reason to distinguish between tracks, nothing to shift the evocative atmosphere, nothing to let the sound rest and renew itself. Initially, the listener is lifted and carried by sheer mood alone, but as the album unfolds, the journey seems to lose power and focus. By the time the album reaches its close, the once-strong effect has all but worn off. Budd and Guthrie have done better: their work on After the Night Falls and its companion Before the Day Breaks seems more inspired to me. I can't compare Bordeaux to The Moon and the Melodies, because they're so different, but even that album showed much more diversity. Guthrie's own recent solo work (the incredible album Carousel, for example) also sports more variety, and as a result, is more rewarding over multiple listens.

It pains me to say it, but Bordeaux bears all the signs of a by-the-numbers release. While the mood is certainly strong, melody has all but evaporated into the overwhelming layered tides of grand but simplistic music. Budd and Guthrie are veterans who know how to tweak their sound to fill spaces, but their hearts don't seem to be in it this time. Listening to Bordeaux is like hearing the most talented 100-piece orchestra in the world play a single note for forty minutes: temporarily hypnotic, but ultimately unsatisfying, for you know the talent is capable of so much more.

This offering by the experienced collaborators of Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd is absolutely outstanding. I rate this CD with ambient classics like The Pearl and Plateaux of Mirror, long ago collaborations of Budd and Brian Eno. Guthrie remains hard at work with his own EPs and CDs and Budd has become prolific since he announced his retirement about five years ago. I like everything about this CD and will not dwell upon the specifics of each track. These guys along with Clive Wright are really raising the bar in ambient music.

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