April 22, 2019

William Basinski - Watermusic II



             Arpeggiatic Pacific currents turquoise blend into sky and descent through the fresh water ocean.  Like glass ripples up above impossible to distinguish layers of atmosphere from the liquid purity; peacefully partially submerged partially floating.  Delving into drinkable, breathable water.

              Sun rays penetrate through fluid curtains.  3D 1990’s Final Fantasy death aquatic burial.  Ancient wisdom saturate all encompassing currents and streams.  Totally lose sense of body, sheer density and soothing of the water dissolves physical and ego boundaries and we become a gelatinous unity.
               Undulate through cross current pockets of velvet fuzz feeling subtle warmth like a kitten laying in the sun.

               Flow somewhat deeper somewhat more still where light shies.  Bodiless, ambiguous form transperse experiencing cool and warm simultaneously.  Sensations cease to be put into words, formless unity grows and we become part of all.  Divided and peacefully overtaken by water, our cells now solution with the entirety of existence via water.  Such as all colors of light spectrum combined become white, so do all experiences combine into  spiritual wordlessness and cosmic All.

               In between collective experiential existence, more feelings specific to your ego briefly emerge and pass like roaring rapids.  The time spent with old friends, two, five, maybe ten years ago.  Where you were then versus where you are now.  Every life you’ve touched or influenced.  Every bit of interconnectedness: Close friends spent time with daily, shop clerks you were friendly with but never knew on a deeper level (a smile can mean a lot).  The countless anonymous strangers you passed on the street, the unknown people who’ve overheard your inane conversations with friends, how even our clothing affects the people we experience day to day but never directly interact with.  The lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, cereal, clothing, entertainment goods, the people behind the scenes who make that happen.  The farmer in Mexico who grew that tomato for you to eat.  He’s middle aged now, knows how to use all sorts of complicated farming tools and machines.  He has a wife and children he’s supporting.  Probably got a significant spot in his community.  But he was young once, growing up and getting an education, helping his parents in any way he could.  An entire infinitely complex story behind that one person who brought you the tomato.  Within our egos we are bound by the web of interconnectivity.  These experiences wash over us like the Pacific currents.  Then, dissolve again into the egoless white light prismatic combination of the cosmic All.

               The water becomes more still yet and we nearly motionlessly drift amidst this breathable, drinkable, heavy comfortable fresh water oceanic liquid.

               Slight ascension at a leisurely speed, like we are exiting the life stream.  Bodily feeling gradually returns, our physical outlines solidify once more, vague feeling of warmth present.  Pleasant steady upward drift.  Light becomes stronger and the surface of the water is within eye sight.  Distinction between divide of ocean/sky becomes visible.  Turquoise blues, pastel blues, liquid curtains.


               Tonally the piece centers around C major.  There’s a super low bass note of C humming in the background that seems to meander between C and A.  It’s hard to hear it clearly, there’s just a low presence that jellies itself between those two notes.

               One of the main riffs is a sustained A, B, down to G.  Then repeats as A, B, up to E.  This is sometimes doubled in a super high octave.

               Another main wave is a quickly descending sloshy arpeggio.  It’s very transparent, very fast, and the notes blur together really well so it’s hard to tell exactly what’s going on.  I think the notes are something like B, A, E, A, all descending.  This theme pans between both ears and fades in and out throughout.

               Less active parts I’ve noticed are a sustained E note, a subtle E to F trill, and another trill of A to B, this one very high pitched. 

               I’m sure there’s more to this song than these few parts.  The way it’s mixed is so gelatinous and difficult to discern.  Super cool stuff =)

No comments:

Post a Comment