described by steven wilson as a sequel to ghosts on magnetic tape, cenotaph is, in fact, far more than that. just like its renowned predecessor, still regarded by wilson as an all-time favourite in his oeuvre, the new album turns spatial relations upside down, with otherworldly fields of microscopic crackle hovering in the foreground, as cavernous drones ominously flow underneath like steaming streams of molten metal. but whereas ghosts on magnetic tape would transform haunting passages found on old vinyl records into concise and highly organic textures, wilson has considerably expanded the dimensions of the music this time. carving out vast aural sculptures – cenotaphs of sound – from them, the album is made up of four massive compositions around the twenty-minute mark. each of them is a world onto itself, marked by the gradual appearance, temporary continuation and eventual decay of events within a non-linear continuum. and, for the first time in bass communion history, these mysterious cycles are propelled by a slow, brooding rhythmical pulse.the subcutaneous sense of motion – a distant heartbeat rather than a fully-fledged groove - is complemented by a refined and highly variegated colorplay: cenotaph, perhaps uniquely in the bass communion discography, combines and reconciles the light-drone- and dark-ambient-sides of the project, with nocturnal atmospheres and blissful hums standing side by side. this dual nature of the record matches its pervasive feeling of emotional ambiguity and if there's a concept at work here, it is never spelled out in full. instead, the album remains true to the gut feeling wilson has always considered vital for his endeavours. as he puts it himself: "the sound is amorphous, spectral, "old", like clouds of rust and decay. it's ghosts hovering above the tower. music that broods and transforms the room you play it in into a place where time stands still and phantom orchestras beam carrion crow unease into your soul from a time long ago."
steven wilson on facebook: "it's a very dark and spectral album, four 20 minute clouds of brooding drones, perhaps closest in style to previous albums such as ghosts on magnetic tape and loss, but looser in a way. there will also be a limited 700 copy double vinyl edition using a different mix - i tried several different approaches during the development of the music, the mix selected for the cd makes more use of rhythm, while the vinyl mix is more ambient."
the release date is november 10, and the release is available for pre-order now from our store. copies should also be available on most of the dates on steven wilson's upcoming solo tour.
