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<H1>Greg Barbrick<SPAN class=453431318-02022012> Review</SPAN> </H1>The
Sheffield-based Audiobulb Records label was formed in 2003 by David Newman as a
home for “exploratory electronic music.” The term is intentionally vague, which
was a rather smart move on his part. The variety of music the label has released
over the years is fairly broad. All of the releases share one important element
however - which is the stamp of approval from Mr. Newman. That is no small thing
when one listens to a few of the albums he has released.<BR><BR><SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Follow The Dark As If It Were Light</SPAN> by A
Dancing Beggar is a perfect example. A Dancing Beggar is the nom de plume of the
23-year old James Simmons, and was released last May. Being a small, independent
label based in the U.K., Audiobulb’s recordings unfortunately do not get the
type of attention here in the United States that they so richly deserve. If I
had heard this album when it was released, it would have made my “Top 10 of
2011” list without question.<BR><BR><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Follow The
Dark As If It Were Light</SPAN> is actually the second full-length album from A
Dancing Beggar. His first was titled <SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">What We
Left Behind</SPAN>. James Simmons has actually made the task of describing his
music fairly easy for me, as he himself refers to it as “ambient.“ When done
right, ambient music is a form that I adore. Sadly, too many critics (and
artists) have used that term to a point of overkill. In the case of <SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Follow The Dark As If It Were Light</SPAN> though, we
are presented with the very best of what ambient music has to offer.<BR><BR>The
album is a seven-song, 52-minute experience in bliss. On each track, Mr. Simmons
opens with a gentle (yet intriguing) melody, and slowly expands it. <SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Follow The Dark</SPAN> is almost purely instrumental,
although during “Empty Boats,” “Forget This Place,” and “Here Come The Wolves,“
we hear a blend of choir-like voices which are mixed perfectly with the music at
hand. The intent is clearly to add the human voice as simply another element to
the overall instrumental palette.<BR><BR>The very nature of the form of a record
review is (quite obviously) using words to describe music. Yet with an album
like this, words and phrases are so inadequate that it is almost maddening. For
this listener, it is the combination of the various instruments, occasional
voices, and overall texture which makes ambient music so compelling. One of the
keys to it all though is to never allow one aspect to overshadow the
rest.<BR><BR>The effect is one of almost imperceptibly changing textures. Not
falling into the (probably) overwhelming temptation to emphasize one
instrumental sound over another over the course of the piece seems to be one of
the most difficult obstacles for the musician to overcome.<BR><BR>Quite frankly,
to pick a “favorite” out of the seven cuts on <SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Follow The Dark</SPAN> is a nearly ludicrous idea.
But for the sake of illustration, I will single out the 9:47 “Returning” for
special mention. A Dancing Beggar uses all of the tools at his disposal during
the course of this track, and it is one I would play for anyone who ever
wondered what it “is” exactly that makes ambient music so special to
me.<BR><BR>The best ambient music is often described as taking the listener on a
journey. Without question, that is the effect <SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Follow The Dark As If It Were Light</SPAN> had upon
me. For fans of this type of music, I have not heard anything as remarkably true
to the form since the demise of the Silent Records label. I highly recommend
going to the <A href="http://www.audiobulb.com/">Audiobulb </A>site to check out
more of this music. It is certainly one of the best record-label sites I have
seen, with a tremendous amount of information regarding not only A Dancing
Beggar, but their other artists as well.<BR><BR>For now though, let me just say
that <SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Follow The Dark As If It Were Light</SPAN>
stands among the finest ambient albums I have heard.</DIV>
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<P class=MsoAutoSig align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=1>David
Newman</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoAutoSig align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p><SPAN
class=437022919-09122009><A href="http://www.audiomoves.com/"><FONT
color=#008080 size=1>http://www.audiomoves.com</FONT></A><FONT
color=#008080><FONT size=1> <FONT color=#808080>| </FONT><SPAN
class=style9><FONT color=#808080>Audiomoves > <EM>Digital audio
solutions</EM></FONT> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></o:p></SPAN></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoAutoSig align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p><SPAN><A
href="blocked::http://www.audiobulb.com/"><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"><FONT
face=Arial color=#008080 size=1>http://www.audiobulb.com</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT
size=1><FONT color=#008080><FONT face=Arial> <FONT color=#808080><SPAN
class=437022919-09122009>| <SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Audiobulb Records
> <EM>E</EM></SPAN></SPAN><EM>xploratory
music<o:p></o:p></EM></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN><FONT
color=#808080> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
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