Bill Gould might not be a household name, but he was a founder member of Faith No More, regarded by many as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the 90s. And rightly so: few bands have drawn so many seemingly incongruous elements together to such great effect and made it sound so natural. Of the band’s members, Mike Patton’s prodigious output sees him retain the highest profile, and his work never fails to push parameters, showing negligible regard for concessions toward the commercial.
Similarly, ‘The Talking Book’ by Bill Gould, created in collaboration with ‘conceptual sound artist’ Jared Blum is very much an album that’s concerned with the creation of art rather than connecting with the mass market. This is definitely a good thing.
Pitched as being ‘reclaimed from a graveyard of vinyl’, ‘The Talking Book’ forges immense ambient soundscapes that have a genuine sense of nostalgia embedded within the rich textures that form the fabric of the recording. Often, we hear the crackle and rumble of worn vinyl, slowed and amplified to create music in its own right, with drones and jangles – often sharp and jarring – fading in and out eerily through the analogue haze. This construct helps to create something of a ‘vintage’ feel to what is, simultaneously, an extremely contemporary album, that in many ways, feels as much like a soundtrack as it does an experimental / ambient work. Very much an album to get lost in.
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Stream 'The Talking Book' at Koolarrow Online
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