The place that Alexander provides for field recordings, which sound like they were taken from a cameras, tape recorder, and phone footage, is what sets him apart from other performers. The black and white support of the new release and the nostalgic, sepia-toned movie for” Chadburn and Meadowood” plaster the idea that these tapes may have come from a past time, perhaps even the artist’s own story. When a bell rings, ambient sounds linger around the edges like growing trees in a movie about a peaceful backyard childhood. The time stamp reads 1994, which seems about right. Summer turns to autumn, Halloween decorations appear, the neighbors show off their new motorcycle, then speed away. ( Note: the dialogue from this last part is in the video only. )
A different story is revealed in the liner notes. These field recordings, although they sound abraded, are new. The artist had returned to his hometown for his grandmother’s funeral, and was flooded with memories, he recorded as much as he could to recapture that aural magic. Amazingly, many things remained the same as he remembered them:” the essence of childhood … still hummed with life”. He was unaware that this would be his final visit to his childhood; the house was sold while he was making the album.
The guitarist in” By the Window” recalls the experience of being unable to play outside and having to find something to do as the rain pours down. But in the next track, Alexander walks across gravel, accompanied by a variety of backyard birds. As traffic humbly passes in the distance, a windchimes make noise. One of these sounds, the ice cream truck, will stand out from the crowd on the other side. This one, thankfully, is idling, the children do not have to chase it. An amusing dialogue ensues. In” After Dark”, fireworks burst in the distance. One recalls the wistful joy of watching from a distance, as well as the shows they have seen as well as those they were not permitted to watch. Alexander adds an unobtrusive drone, like an opaque yellow highlighter. A train horn blows, alerting the neighbors to its presence. Piano and crickets populate the closing piece, a comforting goodnight.
We’re well past the era in which families invited each other over to watch home movies, it’s questionable whether this was ever really popular, or just tolerated. However, when a 30-second video clip can capture someone’s attention for the duration of one hour, something has been lost. A third option is sound. Please Take Nothing But Memory, the title reads, suggesting a walk in a protected nature preserve. As the mind creates its own images, sound also invokes memory as well as any photo or film, and in some cases even makes sense. We’re content to flip through Alexander’s photo books of sound over and over again. ( Richard Allen )
