For some reason, I consider voyeurism a rather lonely pastime. It's not simply the fact it's a detached, non-participatory pursuit, but the fact that it's not the sort of thing you tell your mates about down the pub - assuming that your average voyeur has any mates to go to the pub wit: chances are, they'll be sitting on their own in a corner, pretending to read a newspaper while watching. Watching who? You, probably.
Music for Voyeurs is one man - photographer, musician, and more - Rick Senley. If noting else, this adds weight to my theory of the voyeuristic loner. Musically, too, this intriguing and atmospheric set is sparse and atmospheric, and conveys a sense of isolation and loneliness rather than of sleaze or lasciviousness. The fifteen tracks bleed together, sequenced and segued to run as a continuous whole, and taken as such, it's a subtle and at times unsettling work of semi-ambient electronica, punctuated by some glitchy percussion and sampled narratives to excellent effect. Because these narratives are fragmentary, short snippets for the most part, and often distorted or fuzzy, there is a sense of the overheard, the eavesdropped: brief excerpts of other people's conversations, without any real sense of context. This adds to the feeling of dislocation, of isolation.
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While much of the album's tone is quite dark, there are some moments of lightness, even beauty, and there's an impressive array of texture and nuance, with distorted guitars and moody strings in the distance, all weaving in and out of the mix. Senley undoubtedly has an ear for detail, and the result is an intriguing and accomplished album.
www.musicforvoyeurs.co.uk
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