PRICE:
$14.50
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Body Isolations
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
CCO 035CD CCO 035CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
10/9/2006

This is the second full-length release by London-based Donato Wharton. Citing the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Mogwai and Vladislav Delay as tacit influences on his work, Wharton has successfully distilled elements of each into his own oeuvre -- yet rather than come across as a copyist, these fragments instead serve to inspire the mood of the music and leave the gentle compositions in which he specializes to mature at their own pace. Taking its name from a contemporary dance term, Donato Wharton chose to call his new album Body Isolations in order to draw parallels with the manner in which an audience in any field can have their attention focused on a particular thing. "Basically it describes the movement of isolated body parts," Wharton explains, "and whether this be a hand, foot, arm, finger, or head -- it conspires so that the entire concentration of both dancer and audience is focused on that particular isolated detail." Taking this notion and applying it to his music, Wharton goes on to discuss how he sees this as translating to his work. "Each track exists as a concentrated expression -- representing a certain state that ranges from dreaming and inertia, through to yearning and aloofness." While this may all come across as somewhat cerebral, the truth is in the music and the music is stunning. Opening through the William Basinski-style sprawl of "Absentia," Wharton then goes on to present some of the most deep and gorgeous music imaginable -- with the likes of "Blue Skied Demon," (his first ever vocal track) a crumbling edifice of sun-bleached melodies and incremental atmospherics. From here, "Underwave" takes a pulsing electronic tide and matches it to some piquant soundscapes, "Sidereal" indulges his love of mealy hiss and hums for a gorgeous sliver of soapy melody, while "Transparencies" coaxes a dusty piano into life for a poignant journey down memory lane. Isolation has never been such an inviting prospect.