Malcolm Pardon
Death Revisited
(The New Black)
Limited Edition Cassette:
boomkat.com/products/death-revisited
Youtube Playlist:
thenewblack.fanlink.to/TNB002
[editor's note]
I'm like everyone else completely shocked and saddened by the catastrophic events unfolding in Ukraine.
Of course, I would like to chip in the best way I can, as every little effort helps. So with this final installment of my ”Death Revisited” series, all the proceeds from sales will go to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.
www.unhcr.org
This special release includes all previous versions by Penelope Trappes, Klara Lewis, Regis and Peder Mannerfelt.
Also added is one new unreleased song called ”Night Vision" and two live versions from my album.
This edition can only be purchased via Bandcamp.
Thank you.
Malcolm
[press text]
Building on the mortal themes explored on his debut album Hello Death, Malcolm Pardon presents a collection of collaborations and remixes entitled Death Revisited. Where Pardon’s own approach used a plaintive, piano-centered palette to reflect philosophically on the idea of death, he now opens up to an accomplished cast of artists to share their own interpretations of the end of life.
With the dour zeal of Birmingham’s industrial heritage coursing in his veins, Regis approaches ‘Blood In Water’ as a scene to be embellished, filling in scratchy details and marking out a defined space with textural figures. In his hands, Pardon’s swell of drone takes on a rich, widescreen gleam which accentuates the melodrama in the composition.
Klara Lewis’ interpretation of ‘End Less Theory’ sinks the cyclical piano phrase into a primordial swell of spectral choirs and scattered impulses. The Swedish composer, who has released a stellar run of albums on Editions Mego, creates a literal sensation of the afterlife with her pitched down, atmospheric abstraction of the original.
Peder Mannerfelt is perhaps best placed to interpret Pardon’s vision of death, having worked closely with him for many years in their Roll The Dice project. Never easy to predict, the maverick Swedish producer takes a forensic approach on ‘The Blindspot’, creating a slow creeping tension pivoting around a minimalist rhythmic pulse and warping low end.
The new version of ‘Silent Rumble’ is a collaboration between Pardon and Penelope Trappes. As an exponent of beauteous, pop-inflected synthesizer music across albums on Houndstooth, Trappes brings a soaring, maximalist touch, folding her voice into the fabric of the piece while still following its fundamental structure.
As well as the digital release of these four tracks, Death Revisited will also come out as a cassette with an additional two live tracks Pardon recorded on the summer solstice in July, 2021. His own pieces stand in stark contrast to the versions that precede it, affirming Death Revisited as a thoughtful extension of Pardon’s original sentiment, that death is incredibly personal, but also universal to us all.
released March 18, 2022