 RF Views of Distant Towns Cat No: PLIP-3016 Format: CD only Label: PLOP Release Date: February 2006 Tracks: 01 Ladder in Place 02 Offering 03 Despite the Time 04 Messenger with Keepsakes 05 The Well and Stars 06 A Very Lucky Year 07 The Flow of this Place 08 Of Detachment 09 Views of Distant Towns 10 On the Bus that I Had Chosen 11 A Vacant House is Born 12 End of the Line |
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RF is the musical moniker of Ryan Francesconi (b.1974 San Francisco), a multi-instrumentalist, media artist, and programmer in California. In his music, Francesconi blends organic instrumentation(voice, guitars, strings, horns, field recordings) with subtle glitchwork and his own software. The result is an intricate lattice where each sound, be it from a plucked string or a click of the mouse, is carefully and thoughtfully placed. He also runs his own Odd shaped case label and a prestigious music software company Spongefork where he is the lead developer and art director. -- text by Ryan Francesconi (RF) Three narrative themes weave through this CD. The first are references to Haruki Murakamifs The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Murakamifs writing is how I became interested in Japan initially, and I love this book. When Toru is about to go down into the well for the first time, just as he is climbing over the back wall, he recalls when he ran away from home as a child. The title of this chapter is gViews of Distant Townsh. It has to do with the fundamental loneliness and isolation of being somewhere far from home\but even more than that, the longing for `something` as well as the inevitable loss that occurs from longing anything. People often travel to foreign places as a way to get outside themselves and see with a fresh eye what is around them and what is IN them. Another important image from the book is when Toru sits on the bench near Shinjuku station and watches the faces of people go by. He does this for days on end. The idea of crowds, faceless people, as if people are simply reduced to their shadow\another theme that runs through Murakami literature. I feel a strong affinity with the character Toru. I like the image of the point of view being in stasis but faceless activity around it. When Toru sits on a bench in stillness, the world rushes by while he empties his mind by simply staring at passersby, staying still within the frenetic rush that people get caught in. Like sitting on a rock in the middle of a river. It seemed to be Torufs way of escape but also a way to accept what had happened to him. There is an incredible amount of Presence in that scene. My own narrative of the past six months has also influenced the music on this CD. In many ways, my own situation was similar to Torufs, drawing me closer to the story and personal reflection. Although the lyrics on the CD at times reference Murakamifs Wind-Up Bird, they are ultimately my words about my story. The third narrative is my trip to Japan in September to tour with Plop. I knew before I went that the inspiration for gViews of Distant Townsh would come from being there. The CD has many field recording sounds of Japan, as well as my feelings during that time, which are expressed particularly in the last four tracks. |
