| Southport Records has been releasing
records since 1979, which is a remarkable feat of longevity for an independent label,
especially one working on the fringes of the music world. Bradley Parker-Sparrow, who,
along with his wife and singer Joanie Pallatto owns Southport, is responsible for the
label's 93rd release, the conceptual We Are Not Machines.
The recording began as a score to filmmaker John
Covert's production Watch which, according to the liner notes, tells the story of
a group of men on the outside of society selling women and blackmailing the buyers.
Somewhere along the line Sparrow morphed this concept into his own manifesto about the
proliferation of machines and the "war of machine and man" as they fight for
creative control.
The resultant release is a combination of
muscians and acousitic instruments, most prominently piano, with computers and
synthesisers. Throughout live musicians mingle with electronics to varying degrees of
success. On "Before the Time" legendary trumpeter Billy Brimfield has his
brawny trumpet tone multitracked as he splatters phrases up against himself and Tatsu
Aoki's bass with repeating, if unimaginative, synth patches underneath. Brimfield's
trumpet seems to be reacting more to his own counterpoint rather than to the static
background. On "Cell-Drums" Larry Gray's cello warmly ignores the computer
generated rhythms behind it. This separation of human and machanics is a theme on "We
Are Not Machines." The live musicians don't so much interact with their computer
backing as much as they play over and around it.
The nicest moments happen when the humans take
over the proceedings, as on the piano excursions "Solo Piano Watch, One" and
"Solo Piano Watch, Two" where Sparrow manipulates his musical theme with
variations that push and pull on the time and "Lounge Trio" which finds Joanie
Pallatto's wordless vocal and wooden flute backed by sparse piano walking bass lines
behind her.
To get to these sections, however, the listener
must overlook tracks such as "Cut Off the Head of Eminem and Stick It Up His
Butt," Sparrow's curse laden tirade against the Detroit rapper that seems to come out
of left field. Even worse is the "PG Remix" of this track which has edited
out the curses with beeps that make this like listening to an audio track of The Jerry
Springer Show.
In general, Sparrow's intent seems to be lashing
out against machines and their corruptioin of human creativity even as he embraces them,
trying to work within this new system. This results in a dark and cold recording as humans
act next to, over and around machines. As a result, the best parts are also the most
human.
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