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 Singing Bridges Vibrations : Variations Jodi Rose As the train reaches the final stages in its approach to Newcastle upon Tyne, it's difficult not to be somewhat astounded by the bridges that path the entrance to the city; row upon row of them, seven within two miles, varying in appearance, historical referencing and, perhaps most importantly in relation to this album, materiality. Jodi Rose has a self-proclaimed love of bridges. They look “fragile and tenuous, resembling a spider-web spun across the void and creating a path where there was previously only air”. Writing about suspension bridges, she notes: “The cables look like harps, waiting to be plucked by angels or by passing giants”. We have to wonder: “How do the cables sound?” A bridge fulfils the role of connecting two settlements separated by a notch in the landscape and here lies a metaphorical link between the albums subject matter and the very format of the CD. ‘Singing Bridges' is a double album, each disc exploring separate musical territories; on the left we find field recordings and musique concrete style composition whilst on the right we find glitchy beeps, industrial noises and ambient Electronica. Jodi Rose and her collaborators act as the intermediaries, providing a useful and interesting connection between the two fields. Vibrations Disc one consists of field recordings taken by the Australian on her global travels, most of which seem to have been composed and structured post-capture, but remain otherwise unprocessed. Fifteen tracks take the listener on an enchanting aural tour of some of the worlds bridges, arranged in chronological order from the Anzac Bridge, Sydney Australia (20/06/94), through Germany, UK, Spain, USA, Tasmania to name a few, before heading to Porvoo, Finland (04/10/04). Unexpectedly, the timbre isn't overly ‘metallic' throughout the CD, some sections in fact sounding strangely evocative of analogue synth warbles, as though the bridge's cables are flailing in the wind like colossal strings. There's no lack of definition and distinction from location to location, track to track. The tones caught by the contact microphones are magnified, allowing us to hear the imperceptible. Suspension cables are plucked and stroked, some parts sounding like a gamelan instrument or prepared piano, at other times more like a collection of kitchenware! Metal beams are struck to produce long, slow-decaying layers of inharmonic resonances whilst residual sounds of the location, such as the footsteps and vehicles crossing the My Thuan Bridge in Vietnam or the distant wailing of a siren crossing Brooklyn Bridge, make gentle filtered appearances in sections of the mix. Variations Disc two provides the antithesis to ‘vibrations', digital reconstructions created by fourteen sound artists/musicians met by the nomadic Jodi on her travels. Included amongst the list of luminaries are Gintas K, Francisco Lopez, Kent Macpherson and Furthernoise's very own Roger Mills! All sounds found on this side are courtesy of the original source materials only, which have been sampled and processed to produce misshapen, remixed bridges. The initial few tracks provide an unforeseen contrast to what has gone before kicking off with a selection of metronomic clicks ‘n' cuts type pieces. It isn't long before we become immersed in dark, industrial cycles that hammer onwards like eternal engines, glimpses of their metallic origins shimmering on through filter improvisations. Later on things get murkier still, as drones gather to thunderous momentum before finally caving in to fragmented shards as the disc ends. The only difficulty I had with this second disc is the aural overload of metallic frequencies. The ‘vibrations' side of the album explored the intricate delicacy contained in the materiality which, on ‘variations', is somewhat camouflaged beneath clouds of reverb or fractured beyond recognition through granulation techniques. Nonetheless it makes for a compelling listen in smaller doses. And Onwards “My dream is to create a global symphony of bridges singing together”, writes Jodi in her sleeve notes. A sublime and beautiful vision certainly. And now, as I once again pause on the divide between Newcastle and Gateshead and cast my gaze down the Tyne, I can't help but imagine the untapped resonances being withheld by this local septet and wonder what songs they would sing. Check out the exceptional www.singingbridges.net for some detailed information about the bridges in question, the concepts underpinning the project and the future aspirations of Jodi. Available now from - http://sonicartstar.singingbridges.net Review by DJC de la Haye
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