Rothko - A Continual Search For Origins
(Too Pure)
The original Rothko lineup of three bass-players was unique, and the music they were able to create from just those three basses was astonishing in the depth and character of the sound. Recently, Rothko has been whittled down from three bass-players to just one, Mark Beazley, which means the rules for the project have completely changed. No longer can Rothko rely on the size and power of the immense bottom end and the unique warm rumble that emanates from the speakers. Instead he relies much more on the use of space and, especially, the selection of other instruments to mix with the bass, featuring use of flute, trumpet, guitar, and female vocals.
This shift of focus from the more visceral to the more cerebral oddly enough coincides with Rothko's first album on the band's new label Too Pure, entitled A Continual Search For Origins. Those expecting something more accessible will be surprised, as the music here is quieter, calmer, and more contemplative than previous albums. Rothko the band probably planned out songs together, practiced songs together, and got together for recording sessions; Rothko the solo project is much more flexible. Beazley is able to create and record freely, drawing inspiration from anywhere, and A Continual Search For Origins is the byproduct of this creative freedom. Beazley often seeks refuge from the mean streets of London in a friend's apartment in a small town in Switzerland, and on one of those soul-replenishing excursions, Beazley felt inspired to put to music the calm and serenity felt by the lake and mountains in this quaint and quiet village.
This calming influence is felt throughout the album, quieting the mind and slowing down time. The album starts with "On the Day We Said Goodbye" as Beazley's bass playing is so lyrical it sounds almost like Spanish guitar. Guest vocalist Caroline Ross sings at a glacial pace, emphasizing every syllable in the clearest, steadiest tone. Ross is the most prominent guest musician on the album, contributing not just vocals but flute as well. Both are used in the miniature "St. Giorgio," named after a church in the village, as Ross intertwines both her instruments with Beazley's bass meditations amongst a gentle clamor of wind chimes, sounding suitably angelic.
Not all songs are quiet and pretty however, as the natural sound of the bass also easily leads to the casting out of demons. "I Sense You Fading Away" takes several minutes to unfold, starting off with a foreboding bassline playing off a mercurial trumpet against a starry, cricket-ful night. The song eventually erupts, like an argument in the middle of an otherwise quiet evening, covering over the quiet beauty with the album's only real use of rock and roll (drums and all). However, Beazley always manages to bring the intense moments back down, following the growling tones and steady pound of drums with a return to the peaceful sounds of night.
A Continual Search For Origins is the perfect music for these quiet, lonely nights. Not the type of the lonely nights where you regret being alone and would have rather gone out. Rather, the type of nights where retreating to solitude centers you and helps you cope with your otherwise hectic, harried life.
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