Paul Ellis - Silent Conversations

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Paul Ellis - Silent Conversations

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This album is a bit of a departure for Paul Ellis, as well as for sequencer EM in general. In addition to synthesizers it features a nice use of guitar, bass, voice and some other acoustic and electric instruments. That doesn't mean, however that Paul's style is unnoticeable, because there are still plenty of rhythmic sequencer tracks done in the typical Paul Ellis manner. On some tracks, Paul is helped by friends Steve Roach, Jeffrey Koepper, Otso Pakarinen and others. So, strictly speaking, some of the tracks on "Silent Conversations" are actually collaborations with other artists.

We start with "The Only Known Photograph of God" that has Steve Roach and Jeffrey Koepper helping out on synthesizers, while Paul plays synths, guitars and bass. It has an atmospheric beginning but after a while in come the sequences and several minutes later it settles into a nice rhythmic groove. There are some stunning jazzy chords that make the track really stand out, giving the proceedings a slightly funky vibe. The mood is relaxed and very enjoyable, like a comfortable space voyage in a warm, enveloping capsule. The track really took me back to the golden age of EM with its subtle pulsations, electric pianos and warm analog string sounds.
"Trillium" is a Paul Ellis solo synth piece that starts with a slow, echoing sequence of the kind that Paul is so good at. The pace remains slow and relaxed throughout the piece, while the atmosphere is decidedly alien and unearthly. Nice deep bass sounds on this one. Some faster sequences are playing alongside the slow ones, giving the track a rich, full sound, in spite of the fact that the music itself is based almost exclusively on rhythmic elements, with a few weird FX injections here and there. The way the sequences are changing, mutating and interacting is simply gorgeous.
"Peripheral Vision" is a collaborative track with Steve Roach (pad and bell synths, processing) and Will Merkle (bass). It's firmly in the Ambient school of thought, with Steve laying down the atmospheric background on top of which we can hear Paul playing Rhodes piano and a bit of Mellotron flute near the end, while Merkle provides a few subtle touches on bass guitar. Rhodes is certainly what gives this track (and album as a whole, because this instrument is used on some other tracks as well) its own specific atmosphere. It's a pleasant diversion, as the sounds of Fender Rhodes are very characteristic of 70's Progrock, Fusion and even EM records, so the album has a lot of that "good old" feeling in it.
"The Wind-Up Synthesizers of the Glass Reich" (talk about odd titles!) is a collaborative piece with Otso Pakarinen also known as Ozone Player, who plays (no pun intended) synthesizers. The piece is based on a matrix of sequences with some great melodic moments as well.
"Trance Figure" could be considered typical American Ambient, akin to Steve Roach and similar artists, but the guitar (quite a bit of it), voice (Paul's!) and flute played by Laurie Guild are something unusual for EM camp. The track sounds very close to New Instrumental music, with synthesized structures taking the back seat, while the upfront solo elements are provided by guitar, Rhodes, flute and so on. Paul Ellis even plays electric bass on this cut. The final chords gave me the goosebumps - pretty dramatic stuff.
"Continental Drift" - solo Paul Ellis again, on just synthesizers, coaxing more sequences than I can ever count. Making them all interact and stay synced and in tune with each other must have been an enormous task.
"The Dumb Angel's Periscope" (this way he may even outdo Edgar Froese in the weird title department) is once again a collaboration with fellow musician Steve Roach. Both play synths and sequencers while Paul also plays guitar. Taking into account the title of the song I do notice a humorous touch in the music, albeit a very light one. The sequences are a bit chunky and.. well, *clumsy*. Interesting composition overall.
The title track is a calm piece with processed cello sounds and vocals (both provided by guest musicians). The cello gives the track a vaguely Schulzean flair. Again, a non-typical (for EM, that is) number.
The album closes with Paul's own interpretation of Steve Roach's "Sundial" that first appeared on Steve's "Life Sequence" album and where also Paul played synthesizers. Here the track is called "Dialing In the Sun" ;-). My favorite element in this piece is the soloing, which is sparse but spot-on. Interesting sequencing as well. It's nice to hear the album finish with this upbeat optimistic composition.

"Silent Conversations" comes as something really different for Paul Ellis. The concept here is perhaps slightly more obscure than that of "The Sacred Ordinary".
Feeling more like a collection of tracks, rather than a single piece of art, it is still a very enjoyable disc that will possibly require a few spins to be appreciated in its entirety by die-hard EM fans, but I still think that the sheer beauty of some of the pieces will be noticed and enjoyed by followers of Paul's talent.