From The Diary of Andrew Keeling
Wednesday, July 12th 2006
This morning’s listening is to the recent Judy Dyble releases, Spindle and The Whorl. Judy sent the first some time ago and the second arrived yesterday. It seems fitting to write about Spindle as it includes a version of See Emily Play. The news of Syd Barratt’s death filtered-through yesterday. This is very sad. Both the Dyble albums are mantra-based. Harmonically speaking all is rather static, and the albums are kept moving by rhythmic devices or by textures provided by Marc Swordfish. This isn’t a criticism. It allows Dyble’s solo voice to be heard clearly across the top of the textures. Spindle’s finest moments are the re-making of See Emily Play and the final Shining, which includes guitar and Soundscape parts by Robert Fripp. Here the Soundscapes are similar to the ones found of Fripp and Eno’s Equatorial Stars.
However, I actually prefer the second album, The Whorl, kicked-off by the memorable Starlight. Many will find the new version of the McDonald/Sinfield song I Talk to the Wind to be the high-point. Here it’s been re-cast into something Dyble has made very much her own. She actually sung on an early version of the song found on The Young Person’s Guide to King Crimson, before the band was officialy called King Crimson. I Talk to the Wind is quite simply a very good song. Road to Somewhere is memorable with its slightly more edgy vocal timbre, but it’s the new version of Shining – here called Forever Shining – which captures the attention. The Soundscapes are placed at the back of the mix and the solo guitar has been reduced. It’s all stillness in the aftermath of a storm.
Andrew Keeling