cover: ARO18

The Stargazer's Assistant

The Other Side Of The Island CD ARO18

aurora borealis
  1. The Other Side Of The Island Pt. 1
  2. The Transport
  3. The Other Side Of The Island Pt. 2

'The Other Side Of The Island' is the soundtrack to the sculptural works collected under the same name, both being the work of David J Smith. In addition to his percussion duties with Guapo, Smith has spent the last two years bringing his visions to life; life that emerged slowly, painstakingly, out of wax, coal, copper and lead. In much the same way, the soundtrack itself slowly writhes organically before the listener: the groan of the motherlode, the shifting of tectonic plates, the song of the Earth's crust.

In collaboration with longstanding musical cohort Daniel O'Sullivan (with whom Smith plays in Miasma & The Carousel Of Dead Horses and audio engineer Antti Uusumaki, Smith has created a strange work comprising of layered vocals, percussion, electronics and prepared strings.

The Stargazer's Assistant offer up the soundtrack of eternal, elemental labour.