REVIEW: Phillip Wilkerson’s “Secret”
Tranqulity: it’s not something I actively seek in music but when it comes across, I want to immerse myself in its crevice. Philip Wilkerson is someone who creates the kind of music that if you turned off your mind, relaxed, and floated down stream, you might find yourself on another distant planet. Secret (Clinical Archives) is simple by design, for it is almost nothing but electronic drones, or at least it’s one sound continuing throughout the song. With one sound there can be variations, or the sound can enter different textures, and that’s the joy into listening to something like this.
The best track happens to be the title track, and at first I thought I was listening to the intro to Yes‘ “Close To The Edge”, complete with the sound of birds. There are sounds that sounds a bit like water, maybe a river or a brook, but in the distance a constant drone, could be spiritual, could have a much grander meaning, could be just a sound. Within that, the sound of mysterious radio or television frequencies, sometimes in other languages other than my own. It is understood, but not by me, so could the other sounds be languages of people long gone? I don’t know. Secret is perfect for kicking back and just vibing, or if you wish to take some substances, do it in the comfort of home or with friends, because I will not be to blame if you listen to this in your car and 12 minute later end up in a ditch with a smile on you face. Oh you know you had a smile, because the picture was on the evening news. Why were you on a country road in the first place, listening to this album while driving 100mph? That’s the mystery, but what’s not a mystery is the beauty of this album, minimalistic flake ornaments for the crystal tree in your heart of hearts.
(free MP3 download)
What do you think?