JapanSylvian.com

"When I was recording with David Sylvian, who is into layering, just putting together these amazing layers of sound, I was so impressed by that. There are just people who can do that better than me. I'm just not a musician."


http://thequietus.com/articles/14204-ha ... -interview

I dont think anyone would ever debate Davids ability to layer sounds. I just listened to Darkest Dreaming again. He has a way of transporting you to another world. Lately his choice of sound sources is questionable. Layering stacks of abrasion is just that.

I remember reading a recent interview where he commented on not being able to connect with conventional song writing anymore. He couldn't connect with old go-to artists like Nick Drake. Its quite the opposite for me. I find myself not being able to connect with him and his songwriting anymore.

Have you heard the new Beck Hansen record yet? Need I say more...

Chad, I feel exactly the same about David at the moment. He has always been able to create a wonderful vibe within me, whether that be with his music or his voice and i miss that. Having said that, although no lover of Manafon, there is still the occasional vocal line which hits the spot. In all honesty what do you think his next move will be or am i right in suspecting that it will be quite some time before we hear from him again? I'm loving Heathen by Bowie at the moment. I haven't listened to it for years so it is like a new album.

depeon wrote:Chad, I feel exactly the same about David at the moment. He has always been able to create a wonderful vibe within me, whether that be with his music or his voice and i miss that. Having said that, although no lover of Manafon, there is still the occasional vocal line which hits the spot. In all honesty what do you think his next move will be or am i right in suspecting that it will be quite some time before we hear from him again? I'm loving Heathen by Bowie at the moment. I haven't listened to it for years so it is like a new album.

It's going to be a LONG time before David does anything. He's not who he was. I know this sounds like some wretched Greek chorus, but I think he's pretty much done.

If you read this David. I love your work and I will always care about you buddy. Get help, get strong and come back when you can.

Chad wrote:(...)He couldn't connect with old go-to artists like Nick Drake. (...)

Don't know what a "go-to" artist is, but both Drake and Sylvian recorded a "Riverman" (also spelled as "River Man"), so there is a connection.

Chad wrote: I remember reading a recent interview where he commented on not being able to connect with conventional song writing anymore. He couldn't connect with old go-to artists like Nick Drake. Its quite the opposite for me. I find myself not being able to connect with him and his songwriting anymore.

I remember the same interview and understood where he was coming from. It's true that a simple, moving song by someone like Drake can catch you unawares at times and hit the same old spot. But mostly I find that these things lose their power eventually. Dylan moaned about modern music having "sound all over them", but I love hearing new sounds and approaches and being challenged. Sadly most music these days seems to be just a rehash of old styles, one big directionless mash-up.

That is why I loved the ground David explored in the last decade. At its best it could make you hear things differently. It was genuinely new and challenging. Not for everyone, sure, but a brave move forward. I know that you - and others - hate it, but David is not someone who's going to go backwards and revisit old ground. He's never done it and never will.

I really do hope that we get to hear more from him. But, as Missouriman suggests, maybe the toll of recent years has been too much. I just hope he can find his way to health and happiness.

It sounds as though you have some inside knowledge on David Missouriman and that the situation is not good. I do hope that he is alright and whatever his trials and tribulations he can come through them, not for me or anyone else but for himself. I sure know that as a 48 year old man, he has been with me since i was 15, that he has made numerous difficult times bearable. As for his output over the last few years, well it has not always been to my taste, but it has had its moments and for those moments alone it has been well worth staying put. Thank you David.

Hey Blemish,

I still haven't given up on the conventional songwriters. Guys like Jeff Tweedy can spin some pretty good yarn if you ask me.

I hear that term 'challenge the listener' and 'might be difficult for some' tossed around a lot. I guess I'd prefer it more if he would challenge himself and not worry about guys like me. To me Blemish & Manafon are really lazy efforts. Just throw some paint at the wall and pass it off as a ground breaking challenge to the listener. Thats Poppycock.

I guess I'm more optimistic. In my mind he's back in Notting Hill recharging his batteries, reconnecting with family, observing life and taking notes. I think a new girlfriend would do him wonders.

As for the future, the new european jazz scene has been picking up a lot steam. The ACT label might be a good place to land. I think he had started down a interesting path with Jan Bang & Eric Honore. I just saw this on Tigrans' Facebook page.

http://www.usf.no/no/program/2014/02/hamasyanhenriksenbangaarset/

I think he should crash that party and give us a new version of Let the Happiness in

QV its funny you should mention Riverman. I just noticed that theres a song called Wave on the new Beck album. Its a stunningly beautiful sylvian-esque type arrangement with no drums go figure...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2DLZkv4Yvg

Chad wrote:I hear that term 'challenge the listener' and 'might be difficult for some' tossed around a lot. I guess I'd prefer it more if he would challenge himself and not worry about guys like me. To me Blemish & Manafon are really lazy efforts. Just throw some paint at the wall and pass it off as a ground breaking challenge to the listener. Thats Poppycock.

At the risk of flogging the dead horse...I suppose I see challenging as simply getting away from the traditional structures we rely on to make things easy to listen to. Those structures exist because they work and will always endure, but sometimes it's good to hear different ways of doing things. For me Blemish is the sound of someone pouring out their breaking heart straight into sound. Manafon is more considered, but I think it was something he was aiming at from as far back as Brilliant Trees - to be able to sing without relying on his own structures and patterns. I really don't think he's ever worried about what the audience expects and I would hope we could all see that he is genuine and sincere in his work. Whether it works? Always an individual response.

Like Depeon, he (and the other guys) has been a constant thread in my life for a very long time. And - whatever the merits of this or that - I'm deeply grateful to him for producing music that has resonated so much for so long.

Blemished wrote: I really don't think he's ever worried about what the audience expects and I would hope we could all see that he is genuine and sincere in his work.

I totally agree. I've found some of his more recent work a bit out there for my tastes, but I'd rather David did the work he really wants to do, even if I don't like it, than soullessly churn out stuff similar to his back catalogue when his heart's not really in it, just to make money - that really would be a betrayal of his fans.

And I'm glad he's never really cared about what the audience expects - if he'd given the audience what they expected, we'd never have had Tin Drum or Secrets of the Beehive.

Chad wrote:QV its funny you should mention Riverman. I just noticed that theres a song called Wave on the new Beck album. Its a stunningly beautiful sylvian-esque type arrangement with no drums go figure...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2DLZkv4Yvg

Thanks for the link. Stunning indeed, with those haunting strings it could have been on an old Craig Armstrong-record.

Back [sic] to Budd: I love his album with Brian Eno (and David Lanois), The Pearl. In fact the only CD I have with him as (co-)leader. The others are recordings on which David is too: Nicola Alesini & Pier Luigi Andreoni and Russell Mills.

Quiet Visitor wrote:Back [sic] to Budd: I love his album with Brian Eno (and David Lanois), The Pearl. In fact the only CD I have with him as (co-)leader. The others are recordings on which David is too: Nicola Alesini & Pier Luigi Andreoni and Russell Mills.

I haven't listened to it in years but I loved 'The Plateaux Of Mirror' album with Eno. A wonderful record.

As some (most?) of you will know David wrote the introduction to Harold Budd`s new book, Aurora Teardrops. The book is printed and published by Heavenly Monkey. It is now on pre-sale via Books Tell You Why Inc (www.bookstellyouwhy.com).

There are just 26 copies printed of the Deluxe edition - which are hand-signed by Harold Budd, Jane Maru and David Sylvian. Of these 26, only 20 are offered on sale. Standard price is USD 1200, but there are a limited number of copies available at the discounted price of USD 1000.

The are an additional 50 lettered copies of the Collectors Edition, of which 40 will be offered for sale. This edition is signed by Harold Budd and Jane Maru, but not by David. Issue price is USD 375, but a limited number of copies available at the discounted price of USD 275.

Greetings from the Dutch mountains,
Sven