Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Away from the release of I Am A Man With A St. Tropez Tan’s Just A Ghost, Rick Senley’s avant-garde recording dealing with fractured nature and disturbed nightmare thoughts, stands another album that raises the shackles on the back of the neck whilst gently lulling the listener with thoughts of the time to come to us all, Music For Voyeurs…The Long Sleep.
The rather gentle refrain of subtle piano, the allowance of music to help you drift off into another realm of sleep is occasionally punctured by the random phrases strewn throughout the 12 track album. It is something that Rick Senley does very well, he uses his own thoughts, his self being and troubles to show that complete peace of mind is quite often an unattainable and of out of reach achievement. No matter what soothing serenades the listener experiences whilst listening To Rick Senley’s inspired discordant album, the sporadic sounds of human speech are enough to wake you out of a welcome reverie.
Anybody who has left their C.D. player, I-Pod or record playing whilst they drift off listening to an audio play or delicate piece of orchestra performance will attest that on such moments a loud, disturbing voice, screech, shout of pain will suddenly jolt them awake and the feeling of conflicting emotions washes over them as they feel jarred and spooked.
Released in 2011, Rick Senley performs all instruments heard and it is no wonder that the fractured nature the music captures, not just on this particular album but on the aforementioned Just A Ghost, has filtered through this stimulating arrangement of conjoined tracks. Whether through the tracks Probably Time To Go Now, the appeal of Broomstick Night Electric, Jane, The Work of the Gospel or Tonight Will Be My Birthday, the album has a strong encouraging and thought-provoking fascination.
Away from the subtle interjections of voices and sounds, the beauty of the piano is exquisite and is one of those rare moments where music can inspire poetry inside the listeners own head.
An album of a splintered nature is always going to appeal when recorded well and with honesty by the musician/artist, like the best poets of the beat generation, it is music to savour.
Ian D. Hall