| The recordings that Gareth Mitchell sent to Kranky in the fall of 1996 sounded as though he had made them for Kranky and Kranky alone. As a contributor to Amp, Mitchell had written the song "Beyond" (the a-side of a single released in 1996 by Wurlitzer Jukebox in the UK) and played on the Sirenes album and astraLmoonBeamProJecTions double album. Mitchell's home recordings sounded like a combination of Zoviet France, Robbie Basho and Scott Walker, with guitar-originated textures floating over percussion, loops and Mitchell's wavering voice. The decision to work with him was exceedingly easy to make. Gareth Mitchell adopted the rubric Philosopher's Stone for his solo recordings and Preparation is his first album. The soundfields he constructs with guitars and loops expand and swirl around the listener's head. Melodic vocals flutter above strings and guitars burst through pushing meters into the red. Sound is tingled, smeared and looped. Within the mass the listener can hear what sounds like the chiming of bells, gongs and faint voices. Although Gareth Mitchell's connection to Amp might provide a very broard frame of reference, Philosopher's Stone defies pat categorization. Like the legendry substance it was named after, Philosopher's Stone transmutes base elements into precious ones. |