Deep Valley\u00a0<\/em>is a testament to the property\u2019s unique location, \u201con the banks on the Shoalhaven River, surrounded by towering sandstone cliffs, dense forests and unique animal species.\u201d \u00a0The property respects the original Dharawal and Dhurga custodians, while the music honors Arthur Boyd\u2019s statement, \u201cyou can\u2019t own a landscape.\u201d \u00a0Perhaps more properly for this release, one can\u2019t own a soundscape, if by \u201csoundscape\u201d one means a local biophany; by the time the sounds are captured, the soundscape has already changed, like a river one steps into for the second time.<\/p>\nThe hallmarks of the release are its use of field recordings and the gentleness of the music, which often seems to enhance the field recordings instead of the other way around: a sonic stand-in for the use of land. \u00a0Seaworthy and Matt R\u00f6sner\u00a0<\/strong>allow the landscape to speak first, and instead of commenting on it, they seek to enter into a harmonious dialogue. \u00a0This means micro rather than macro melodies, sentences rather than paragraphs, with spaces in between. \u00a0\u201cFallen Trees on the Far Shore\u201d allows the listener to think of ecosystems, as the trees nourish the soil and the birds chirp over the flowing stream. \u00a0Fallen\u00a0<\/em>is more natural than\u00a0felled<\/em>.<\/p>\nThoughtful guitar, piano and (very light) electronics imitate the glitter of sunlight on water, the pathways of insects and animals, the opening of petals to the sun. \u00a0The surrounding area, now a wildlife sanctuary, has been the inspiration for generations of artists. \u00a0\u201cWhispered Surfaces\u201d best epitomizes this allure, with a lush biophany of thunder, water, bee and bird. \u00a0A full two minutes pass before the artists add their own music to an already perfect soundscape, as if reluctant to interrupt. \u00a0At the end, they fall again silent, drinking in the last rumbles of thunder.<\/p>\n
The titles \u201cBoundaries\u201d and \u201cLandscape, Shared\u201d drive the point home. \u00a0When the field recordings and music find balance, there is little need for boundaries, for there is no infringement. \u00a0Different species find ways to share their soundscape, especially neighboring frogs and birds, operating at different hours; humanity has a hard time doing the same. \u00a0While Seaworthy and Matt R\u00f6sner do not specifically comment on noise pollution or land capture, they don\u2019t need to do so; their point comes across, quietly and subtly, yet firmly. \u00a0(Richard Allen)<\/strong><\/p>\n
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<\/a>Recorded during a week-long residency at Australia\u2019s Bundanon Art Museum,\u00a0Deep Valley\u00a0<\/em>is a testament to the property\u2019s unique location, \u201con the banks on the Shoalhaven River, surrounded by towering sandstone cliffs, dense forests and unique animal species.\u201d \u00a0The property respects the original Dharawal and Dhurga custodians, while the music honors Arthur Boyd\u2019s statement, \u201cyou can\u2019t own a landscape.\u201d \u00a0Perhaps more properly for this release, one can\u2019t own a soundscape, if by \u201csoundscape\u201d one means a local biophany; by the time the sounds are captured, the soundscape has already changed, like a river one steps into for the second time.<\/p>\n