Album: The Doctrine of Transformation through Love 1
Artist: Michael Cashmore
Label: Klanggalerie
Catalogue no:
GG284
Tracklist:
1. The
Gateway to all Understanding
2. Perception
Should not Influence Perspectives
3. Before
the Crown there Lies Thorns
4. Do
not be Consumed by the Concept of Death
5. There
is a Way out of the Dark Forest
6. We
are all Responsible
7. Physical
Life only Happens Once, Transform Now!
8. Healing
Sonic Medication
9. The
Sacred Revolving Formula of Opposites
10. The
Swallow Flies Free and Formless
11. Conscious
Transformational Mantra
12. The
Doctrine of Love and Opposites
13. Lean
Upon the Light
Unless you’ve been living
in a cave high up in the Himalayas in an attempt to ‘find’ yourself or just to
avoid shallow pursuits of today’s civilisation then the name of Michael Cashmore
should be familiar to just about everyone reading this blog. Back in the day he
released music under the name of Nature & Organisation, and written music
for musicians of the likes of Nick Cave, Marc Almond (Soft Cell, Marc & the
Mambas), and Anohni (Anthony and the Johnsons). His most fruitful
collaboration, spanning 25 years, has been with Current 93 and David Tibet,
helping to create their trademark sparse yet lush post-industrial apocalyptic
folk sound. With that in mind I approached this set with certain expectations –
and what I got was something that completely confounded them.
Michael Cashmore has been
undergoing a personal transformation and in response his music has itself
undergone a similar metamorphosis. The
Doctrine of Transformation through Love 1 is the first in a series
documenting that transfiguration. That in itself isn’t new, of course: many artists
have used the media of musical expression, art, or the written word as a way of
recording how their inner lives have shifted. But if, like me, your only
encounter with the work of Mr. Cashmore has been the music of Current 93
(although I have listened to some of his Nature & Organisation work but
that was decades ago), the dark techno, electronic, melodic, and beat-driven
tracks contained on this release might surprise you.
Personally, what a
wonderful a refreshing surprise I found it. Artists constantly evolve (look at
David Bowie in the mainstream – nobody seemed to complain and it was even
praised as his strong point). Psychic TV dabbled in acid house way back when.
Coil veered between goodness knows how many styles. What Cashmore documents
here and the way in which he expresses it, is in no way any different to what
the abovementioned did.
Each of these pieces
channels an aspect of his journey from darkness into light, and a careful
listen will indeed reveal the nature of the path he’s taken. Also the track
titles themselves are a clue to the landmarks visited along the way. Much of
the first half of the album is coloured with shades of darkness, heavy on the
bass rhythms and beats, wherein we’re all cocooned in a self-realised state of
ignorance, blissfully unaware of our potential. Gradually, however, the light
emerges a crack at a time, and melody piles upon melody, signalling the transformation
itself and its accumulative effects.
Make no mistake – all the
compositions on this album are carefully crafted, as is only to be expected
from this particular musician. Above all, in spite of this being a highly
intimate chapter in Cashmore’s autobiography (with vocal contributions from
Shaltmira and Bill Fay), the music transcends any personal relevance meaning it
can be experienced by any one of us. Furthermore, by the end of the album, one
can feel the joy of the transformation. This curmudgeon even found himself
subconsciously moving to several tracks and smiling. A recommendation indeed.
Don’t just take my word
about how good this album is – head to the link at Klanggalerie at https://klanggalerie.bandcamp.com/album/the-doctrine-of-transformation-through-love-1,
and experience it for yourself. There’s a great deal to take from these 13 wonderful
tracks, and you too will travel along the path from disturbance to bliss.
Psymon Marshall 2019
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