Rael Jones -
Mandrake (
2013)
Video upload authorized by Rael Jones
Purchase at
http://raeljones.bandcamp.com/
album/mandrake
Mandrake is a 9 track album of cinematic chamber music by composer and multi-instrumentalist Rael Jones (Thumpermonkey), written for string quintet, piano and acoustic guitars.
The album blends a wide range of influences and genres.
The French Impressionistic movement and composers such as
Bela Bartok and
Igor Stravinsky can be heard in the harmonic and rhythmic backbone of the pieces, but the approach to structure draws more from
Minimalism and
Film Music.
Films themselves play a large part in the concept for the work; the inspiration for the movements comes from different movies that have special emotional significance to the composer. The opening track '
Lacuna' is named after the
LTD company in '
Eternal Sunshine of the
Spotless Mind' that erases people's memories for a fee. In reference to the final climax of the film, the music attempts to convey the passage through memories as they are lost, until nothing remains but silence (lacuna). Similarly, 'Silflay' is a time for coming above ground and grazing in the rabbit language of '
Watership Down', represented in the pastoral, skittish and happy nature of the piece. '
Boca Del
Cielo' is the name of the
Mexican beach that the characters in '
Y Tu Mamá También' travel to. The track draws on the passion, sex and death in the film, whilst also incorporating
Hispanic influences. The album itself is named after the Mandrake plant, because of its appearance in '
Pan's Labyrinth' (and to a lesser extent the
Harry Potter franchise); the hallucinogenic and magical properties associated with it fit well with the album as a whole. The artwork ties into this too; the composer captured in a blurred, hypnotised trance.
Tracklist:
1 Lacuna
2
Feet
3 High, Plain
4 Chug Up, Chug
Down
5 Algernon
6
Jimmy Runs
Home
7 Silflay
8 Boca Del Cielo
9
Friendly Reminder
Released 01
November 2013
Recorded at
Sphere Studios in
Battersea, London
Recorded and
Mixed by
Dave Jewerén
Moore
Mastered by Rael Jones
Cover Art Photography by
Ashley Jones
Sleeve
Design by
David Barclay
Piano and
Acoustic Guitar -- Rael Jones
First Violin --
Sara Wolstenholme (
Tracks 1-5, 7 and 8)
Second Violin --
Natalie Klouda (Tracks 1-4 and 7)
Viola --
Becky Jones (Tracks 1-4 and 7)
Cello --
Jonathan Tunnell (Tracks 1-4 and 7)
Double Bass -- Tim
Gibbs (Tracks 1 and 8)
Released through the
Believers Roast label in 2013
Videos and
Sheet Music available through www.raeljones.com
Original video material by
International Gospel Center, https://vimeo.com/70238824, released under creative commons license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/
3.0/ and
David C. Montgomery, https://vimeo.com/40270908, released under creative commons license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
- published: 30 Nov 2013
- views: 2628