Manafon (album)

Manafon
Studio album by David Sylvian
Released	14 September 2009
Recorded	between 2004-2007 in Vienna, Tokyo, London
Genre	Experimental rock, Avant-garde
Length	49:48
Label	Samadhi Sound
Producer	David Sylvian
David Sylvian chronology
When Loud Weather Buffeted Naoshima (2007) Manafon (2009)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Pitchfork Media	(7.4/10)[2]
Uncut	[3]
Slant Magazine	[4]
MusicOMH	[5]

Manafon is a 2009 album by David Sylvian. It is an avant-garde work combining elements of free improvisation, experimental rock and chamber music. It reached rank #6 in the The Wire's list of best 2009 albums.^[6]

Production

Manafon was recorded over a three-year period in Vienna, Tokyo and London. Of the recording process, Sylvian said:

"There was nothing written when we went into the studio - this was very much free improvisation. So, the selection of the group of musicians for each improvisation was paramount. I recognized on the day which pieces could work for me. The process was that I took the material away and then wrote and recorded the vocal line over in a couple of hours. So I couldn't analyze my contribution and that in a way was my form of improvisation - and I enjoyed the rapidity of response."^[7]

"I take the sessions and work on them at a later time. I attempt to 'improvise' lyrics and melodies as I go, writing and recording all in a matter of hours. The basic tracks themselves undergo little or no editing as such. The structure pretty much remains as given from the original sessions. I might add an introduction or overdub other elements onto the original take. Here's a couple of examples: "Senseless Violence": Recorded in Vienna with Rowe/Polwechsel/Fennesz. I added guitar parts then layered Tilbury's piano into the track then added the vocal and an introduction. "Greatest Living Englishman: Initial take" suggested acoustic guitar overdubs which I requested of Otomo and Tetuzi on the spot. I later cut and pasted some interesting turntable activity from an alternate take onto this track. I also added an introduction by cutting and pasting elements from an earlier take. Tilbury was added to the coda. Melody and vocal added. "Rabbit Skinner": no editing. added acoustic guitar myself then vocals."^[8]

Lyrical Inspiration

For the recording of Manafon, Sylvian was also inspired by the Welsh poet R. S. Thomas: lyrics often reflect the main themes written by the poet^{[citation needed]} and the title of the album refers indeed to a Welsh namesake village in which Thomas lived for a while.

"Manafon is indeed a village in Wales, a village in which Thomas lived for sometime and served as rector to the parish. In this small village, Thomas had trouble filling the pews of a Sunday but in a sense it was something of an idyllic spot in which to raise a child (a strict, taciturn and somewhat indifferent parent), master his profession and write his poetry. So, the physically real village became for me a metaphor for the poetic imagination"^[7]

Track listing

All lyrics written by David Sylvian.

1. "Small Metal Gods" 5:49
2. "The Rabbit Skinner" 4:41
3. "Random Acts of Senseless Violence" 7:06
4. "The Greatest Living Englishman" 10:55
5. "125 Spheres" 0:29
6. "Snow White In Appalachia" 6:35
7. "Emily Dickinson" 6:25
8. "The Department of Dead Letters" 2:25
9. "Manafon" 5:23
10. "Random Acts of Senseless Violence (Remixed by Dai Fujikura)"

• Bonus track on the japanese edition and the lp edition.

Available formats: CD, Japanese cd edition, Limited edition Box (including the documentary "Amplified Gesture") and LP.

Personnel

• David Sylvian - vocals (all tracks except 8), acoustic guitar (2), keyboards (3, 6), electronics (5, 7, 8), art direction, engineering, production, mixing.
• Burkhard Stangl - guitar (1, 5)
• Werner Dafeldecker - acoustic bass (1, 3, 5, 6, 9)
• Michael Moser - cello (1, 3, 6, 9)
• Christian Fennesz - laptop, guitar (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
• Toshimaru Nakamura - no input mixer (1, 4)
• Otomo Yoshihide - turntables (1, 3, 4), acoustic guitar (right channel) (4)
• John Tilbury - piano (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8)
• Evan Parker - saxophone (2, 7, 8)
• Marcio Mattos - cello (2, 8)
• Joel Ryan - tape signal processing (2, 7, 8)
• Franz Hautzinger - trumpet (3, 9)
• Keith Rowe - guitar (3, 6, 9)
• Tetuzi Akiyama - electric and acoustic guitar (left channel) (4)
• Sachiko M. - sine waves (4)
• Chris Bigg - design
• Atsushi Fukui - David Sylvian portrait and related drawings
• Yuka Fujii - art direction

Additional personnel

Additional engineering:

• Vienna: Christoph Amann
• Tokyo: Toshihiko Kasai
• London: Sebastian Lexer, Neil Tucker

Special thanks to: Richard Chadwick, Yuka Fujii, Adrian Molloy, Chris Bigg, Sarah Humphries, Steve Jansen, Noél Akchoté, Philipp Wachsmann and all the musicians who generously participated in this recording.

Cover artworks: Ruud Van Empel, study in green n° 1, 5, 8 (2003) study in green n° 16 (2004) courtesy Flatland Gallery, Utrecht.

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ Pitchfork Media review
3. ^ Uncut review
4. ^ Slant Magazine review
5. ^ MusicOMH review
6. ^ http://www.davidsylvian.com/index.html
7. ^ ^{a b} http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125261140109600511.html
8. ^ http://www.manafon.com/a_conversation/

External links

• Official site