The front page of Marvin's website and several reviews no doubt based on
that information say this album was released along with his "Cellosphere"
on Mille Plateaux in 1999, but that CD actually came out on the classical
sub-label Ritonell and there's no mention of this record in the releases
listed at the normally reliable (and incredibly useful) Discogs entry for
the label, so it appears to actually be a new release on Burning Shed that
just happens to coincide with the reissue of Cellosphere. And, in fact
"Neptune's" liners say the album was recorded from April-July of 2000, so
that pretty much settles that. All this confusion over pedigree is rather
unfortunate, but perhaps somewhat understandable, as this album is a fine
record in its own right but very similar in mood and structure to the
compositions on Cellosphere. The primary difference is an emphasis on the
unique properties of electric violins, violas and cellos, as opposed to
their acoustic cousins. The songs are for the most part also shorter (ten
tracks spaning 58 minutes instead of four spanning 48) and more directly
evocative of all things watery, right down to the sound of seagulls heard
on "Chanty," the album's seventh song.
It should be noted here that the
track listings on the CD won't line up with your player, since this in an
enhanced CD that stores two short films in the first track, which also
means you'll have to skip past it on audio playback devices. Both films
are by Peter Gomes, one some edits of Marvin playing live with a screen of
digitally processed water at the Camden Remix Festival in 2001 and the
other a companion to the album's third track "Under Blue," featuring an
extreme sideways closeup of Marvin playing the electric cello superimposed
with flowing blue water. Peter and Mavin also collaborated on the
multimedia release "Sensory," more detail about which can be found at
Marvin's and the Burning Shed websites. Getting back to the music, much as
"Cellosphere" was anchored by the 23 minute "Jeannie," the literal and
figurative center of "Neptune" is the seventeen-and-a-half minute "Drift"
which layers Mr Ayres on all three instruments in various permutations that
ebb and flow in keeping with nautical theme.
Apart from Leo Brown's
recording and engineering on that track, (and possibly the organ on
"Breath," there's no credit given) every other sound on the album is
produced by Marvin's playing, mixing and recording, a testament not only to
his vision, but his mesmerizing realization of it.
