Hot off the heels of Rain Tree Crow's dissolution, multi-instrumentalists Jansen and Barbieri return with another intriguing project. STONE TO FLESH largely forsakes ambient lands for more edgy climes, often interspersing their long, exploratory passages with elongated guitar lines and exotic percussive accents.
"Mother London" and "Ringing the Bell Backwards" feature Jansen's clipped vocals, seriously reflective of brother (and former bandmate) David Sylvian, interspersed between fragile synth-warbles, illuminated electronics, and engaging rhythmic devices. "Everything Ends in Darkness" gives Barbieri room to stretch out on the keyboards. His agile synths explore forbidding landscapes while Jansen erects primitive tribal groove motifs.|
Rovi
The first Jansen/Barbieri album in four years finds the pair stretching out on a series of progressive compositions averaging nine minutes in length. Their textures vary from atmospheric ambient tape loops to louder, more rhythmic climactic sections. Guests include David Torn and harmonica player Mark Feltham. ~ Steve Huey
Rovi