YELLOW6
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REVIEWS A seemingly random selection of some of the reviews of yellow6
from the past few years… search Google if you really need more Disappear Here Another
collection of superlative soundtrack scores from the bench of the multi talented
Jon Atwood AKA Yellow 6. 'Disappear here' is the fourth long player from this
very unique and underrated soul who in between offering his remixing skills
for the likes of Portal and Slipstream and broadening his skills composing
scores for T.V. still somehow manages to find the time and space to spell
bind us with his serene sonic epics as Yellow 6. The previous three extended
outings having been released on Jonathon Whiskey, Enraptured and Ochre have
all served to display Jon's flair for creating sharply defined coloured
canvas' for the mind's eye to flirt and visualise with, instrumentals that at
times conjure and control the very elements of nature. Each of the albums have served as building
blocks, the lessons learnt from one transferred, tinkered and re-examined on
the next. Last years 'Lake:Desert' collection for Ochre was awash with dream
like textures encouraging the viewer to loose themselves in the myriad of
emotions and moods evoked within. In a society
of fast food, cars and in general life itself, there's a growing tendency for
music to be considered disposable, what is fashionable today is quickly found
in the shredder this time tomorrow. Luckily then that we have Yellow 6 to
contend with, creating majestic and simultaneously timeless melodic fabrics,
however time being precious can often work against artists like Atwood, this
is not something that can be easily digested, it takes time and patience to
weave it's magic, in some ways you almost wish the hustle and bustle of
modern existence would freeze and that is precisely what the dreamscapes
provided by Yellow 6 allow you the freedom to do. But then the work of Yellow
6 especially that presented here is not really music as such, it's more a
charging of the emotions, providing sensations and a chance to daydream with
the score acting as an illuminating soundtrack to those images. 'Disappear
here' sees the cycle adapted ever so slightly in favour of a more
co-ordinated and considered approach. Capped end to end by two delicately
sparse piano monologues simply titled 'Piano Song', 'Disappear Here' reveals
the growing confidence and vision of Atwood as he wields his trademark magic
with the use of sensitive undulating guitar scripts, soft beats and snow
peaked cavernous orchestrations. 'Disappear Here' is a truly moving
experience, soaring unearthly sound scapes drift dreamily often triggered by
pensive sweeps that arc delirious with sometimes melancholic detachment and
at others with euphoric charm. 'Chrysler'
excavates similar plots to Godspeed You Black Emperor, a brooding melting pot
of foreboding, gently building around a repetitive piano driven melody that
circumvents the proceedings ushering in the accompaniment of haunting sonic
echoes that toy with the thematic drama captured vividly on Morricone's
'Harmonica Song' from the Western 'Once upon a time in the West'. 'Threefold'
is resplendent with a finite quality, Chandler-esque choreography patches
into the suspense moodisms of Gnac, melting chords shift longingly against
regretful pulsing sonic backdrops themselves swirling celestial peaks to give
the overall feel of some kind of meeting of Carpenter / Barry presiding over
a signature tune for a new tragedy smitten TV anti hero. 'Painting shadows'
wraps itself in spectrally charged minimalist pulses, the melodies almost
preciously served with economic fervour, gorgeously romantic sounding. The
joyfully obtuseness of 'Interstate' will have you fending off wave after wave
of sonic tribunes that clatter against the senses until your too weakened to
fight their advances which leaves you to surrender to the syrupy trappings of
the eloquent though destabilizing effects courted by the heavenly chorus of
overlapping keyboards on 'Loop (Part 2). In case you
are in any doubt an essential release and a necessary one, if only momentary,
to escape from a mad, mad world. Enigmatic. Mark Barton / losingtoday.com Artist:
Yellow6 Yellow6, or
Jon Attwood as his mother calls him (or maybe she does call him Yellow6, I
don't know) makes the kind of music that the word "epic" was
created for. It begins and then it builds. Slowly. And then it floats back
down again and finishes. If you were ever looking for a CD to put you into a
trance-like state, this is it (it's not a good record to have on while you're
trying to write a review!). I don't know
about you but listening to music always conjures up images in my head.
Sometimes those images are as narrow in vision as the band standing on a
stage playing their instruments. This, however, evokes all kinds of pictures.
It sounds like the soundtrack to a film where everyone is sad and looks into
the distance without speaking before the camera swings around and swoops over
distant landscapes. Yes. Don't buy
this if you are: looking for something to perk you up before you go out; you
only like fast, loud music; you don't like songs with no obvious structure;
you are an idiot. Do buy this if: you need to relax more; you have insomnia;
you smoke a lot of weed; you like movie soundtracks; you understand what I'm
getting at. (AM / indigo flow e-zine) Yellow6 Disappear
Here It is said
that the real proof of greatness is to continuously evolve with each piece of
work. After a relatively safe effort by his standards with 2001's 'Lake
Desert', 'Disappear Here' sees a development - which not so much conveys
genre-hopping - more a deviation from a well-mined formula. The result is
perhaps even more minimalist than before with piano figuring very highly and
clearly in production; no surprise then that a piece named 'Piano Song'
begins and ends proceedings. Influences now cover Satie - or to take a modern
comparison, Labradford - rather than the Cocteau Twins. For devotees of Jon
Attwood's work the track 'The Sinking Sun' from the '-Split-' collaboration
with Portal is an indicator of where the music is placed. 'Cycle' and
'Brittle' are the best examples of the new approach; both being as
effortlessly moving as they are sinister. Amongst other fine tracks the edgy
soundscapes of 'Interstate' mix enticingly with the morbid cascade of piano
keys on 'Loop (Part Two)'. To summarise, 'Disappear Here' is a fine return
for Yellow6 with enough depth to bear repeated listens. Jonathan
Leonard / leonard’s lair Yellow6 - Disappear Here 11/12 (Make Mine
Music) To live
inside Jon Atwood's (the man behind Leicestershire, England's Yellow 6)
musical landscape would be to live secluded in cold, northern country,
wrapped in a soft blanket and lulled to sleep by creaking glaciers. Using his
well broken in tools of acoustic and electric guitars, keyboard, drum machine
and plenty of reverb, he has released another of his consistently beautiful
albums. Disappear Here is
a dark and brooding record which would ideally serve as a soundtrack to an
equally evocative film. Over the course of his countless EP's, singles,
compilation tracks and four albums, Jon's ability to create a dense and
pervasive melancholy has become one of the most identifiable traits of his
music. On "Threefold" somber chord changes and delicately
programmed drums are given life by heavily reverbed guitars soaring overhead.
Structurally, this song is 'classic' Yellow 6. But moreso on this than his
previous albums, the piano has been given a front seat, and on the opening
track (clocking in at just over a minute) a simple piano part quickly
introduces the mood: dark and quiet. Track two, "Chrysler" follows
perfectly with its piano part guiding the song, assisted by programmed drums
and reverbed guitars. The insistence of "Loop (Part Two)" becomes
engrossing in its use of sparse and shifting textures and some very nice use
of stereo delay. The album ends with a reworking of the opening track,
quadrupling its length, and adding layers of bowed and otherwise treated
guitars. The focus of
mood and lulling textures combine to make Disappear Here, by far, the most cinematic Yellow 6 release,
and maybe the most readily enjoyable. sean hammond,
fakejazz.com 2003 jun 6 Yellow 6 Live @ Ochre7 Simon Berkovitch
(comes with a smile) Yellow6 offer more of a
cinematic proposition, which makes sense in light of Jon Attwood’s musical
contribution to the Channel 4 programme ‘Wasted’. That Yellow6 have allowed
the inclusion of their debut live performance demonstrates confidence in
their abilities: most bands would run a mile at such a daunting prospect. The
five tracks showcased here display a deft grasp of melody, as piano lines,
reminiscent of Erik Satie in their catchy simplicity, and guitar textures
carry along the stately tunes. Drum machines act as an accompaniment, gently
coaxing the melodies along. And once the delayed drums finally decay into
silence, in the final track ‘hardwire,’ one feels refreshed from the aural
equivalent of a soothing neck massage. Avrocar performed very much
like the band Suicide once were. On stage the sound of Avrocar gains from the
resonance of building things up, cumulating together volumes of beatboxes,
vocals and instruments. Their short set for the better part has been included
to build up for the jazzy Easthetic of Yellow 6 in which ambient was made
exciting. A Morricone twang - a twang even when played on piano - is the red
thread in Yellow 6's performance. A fragile use of breaks makes it as unique
as instrumental sound can be. Yellow 6's cinematic approach was illustrated
by video screens during this, their solo debut, at Gloucester Guildhall. And
a masterly concert it was. There is no room for repetition, each moment in
sound counted. Source:remix
- www.igloomag.com One time
rock guitarist and now electronic artist Jon Attwood (aka Yellow6) has
steadily built an dedicated fanbase with his beautifully crafted ambient
soundscapes. Working alone and exploring the possibilities of fusing guitar
and electronic sounds into ambient masterpieces, Attwood has released and
array of singles, albums and compilation tracks on a range of labels
worldwide. Source:Remix is his first foray into remix culture and
features a series of remixes of his own tracks by friends and artists from
the indie electronic scene such as Bauri, Portal, Map & Diagrams and
Rothko. The Yellow6 sound is an enchanting mix of electronically enhanced guitar work with chilled beats and overlaid synths resulting in a serenely floating bed of aurally relaxing tones that drift and flow, lulling you into a complete state of calm and tranquillity. In general, a majority of the mixes here are fairly true to their original form, adding some extra synth lines, electronic tones, beats or a bassline. Opening and closing the album are Rothko’s "Silhouette" with Spanish style acoustic guitar and the swirling tones, the opener additionally featuring added feedback. Lackluster – that’s the female American Lackluster, not Esa Ruoho of Defocus fame – brings bell like chimes and bouncing beats to "Expressway 427" while Landing’s "Marble #1" is more true to the style of the original. Innerise take things in a new direction by adding a deeply thunderous yet relaxed dub bassline and cool rhythmic beats to "Silhouette". Bauri turns in a lengthy but gentle remix of "Leitmotiv" featuring acoustic guitar and melodic beats that gradually pick up pace, becoming more rhythmic and utilising a vocal sample while skilfully maintaining the chilled nature original tune. Picking up the pace is Portal with a fast paced rhythmic train like drum ‘n’ bass remix entitled "Red Leitmotiv" whereas Amp maintain a similar but steadier rhythm for their 8 minute "Snowmelt" rework, adding some orchestral touches and abrasive guitar work to proceedings. Picking up on the feedback theme are Galena who contrast that with a dark maelstrom of ominous electronic tones on "Summers End". Lightening the tone somewhat are Phobos3 with "One Certain", a light melodic rehash with a building, almost military breakbeat. Before Rothko close the album in similar way to its start Maps & Diagrams gives us "Halflife CPL-33", a serene floating track with hissy clicking beats and a looped acoustic guitar sample that gains a fuller more prominent bassline around the midpoint. Attwood’s
work is always supremely tonal and serene, the remixers in this project
taking his original work and adding elements of their own to create a new
take on his ideas. The Source:Remix album as a whole works really well
and is of a consistently high quality; quite unusual for a remix project as
they are usually hit and miss affairs at best. Innerise, Bauri, Portal and
Maps & Diagrams provide reworks of particular note. Live at RoTa
feb 2002 Full text at
the darkstar site By the time
Yellow6 began I was starting to wilt with fatigue. Which was a shame as I'm a
fan of Jon Atwood's ambient guitar soundtracks. Not a million miles away from
Portal, but more mellow and slightly more doom laden. I find it hard to find
words to amply describe Yellow6's music. Dreamy, relaxing, moody and
sometimes quite tense, it's part ambient and part art experiment. Sometimes
appearing with additional musicians, tonight Yellow6 was just Jon, his guitar
and a rhythm box. Imaginative instrumentals that appear to have an organic
ability to naturally evolve when performed live, the results are atmospheric
and enveloping. The perfect antidote to predictable pop song structures. lake:desert
/ decay:repeat - fakejazz april 2002 lake:desert
12/12 decay:repeat
11/12 If you
regularly read fakejazz, undoubtedly you have seen numerous reviews
for the wonderful UK artist Yellow6. With all of the positive comments he
gets, you might think that Jon Attwood (who is Yellow6) was one of our
brother's sister's friends, or that he owned the magazine and would fire the
writers if we didn't write nice things about his music regularly. But, the
simple fact is that a lot of the reviewers here at fakejazz
just love his beautifully calming music and just can't seem to get enough of
it. And, as
shocking as I am sure you will find this, I will go ahead and let you know
now that I am giving both Lake:Desert, Yellow6's latest full-length
album on the UK's Ochre Records, and Decay:Repeat, a new 3" CD,
really positive reviews. In fact, I quite simply think Lake:Desert is
Attwood's best album to date, combining lush guitar drones, multiple picked
guitar lines (acoustic and electric), synth and piano melodies, soothing
atmospheric soundscapes, and tasteful (and usually buried) electronic drums.
And, if you are less than enthusiastic about drum machines in most music,
don't worry, I am not generally a fan of electronic beats either, but somehow
Attwood always seems to make it work. With Lake:Desert,
Attwood wanders into darker territory than his previous releases, creating
music that is more brooding and shadowy. Focusing more on minor keys, a lot
of the songs including "Hardwire," "Post,"
"Half-Life," and others seem more introspective and compelling,
drawing the listener in and clouding their thoughts and focus. Besides the
murkier songwriting, Attwood has added more electronic noise hiding beneath
the surface of the sounds, and has created more interesting rhythms than in
the past by using unique repetition and unusual delay settings on the drums. Decay:Repeat, a two song, 20
minute 3" CD out on TeleRAN records, continues in the same vein as the
album. Whether intentional or not, the second song on the 3",
"Repeat," seems to perfectly combine the ideas of
"Decay:Repeat" with distorted soundscapes fading in and out, over
and over, building and disappearing, and floating on top of a simple delayed
guitar part hidden underneath their wall of sound. The overall
effect of Lake:Desert and Decay:Repeat is nothing short of
breathtaking and awe-inspiring. Must haves for both the initiated and
newcomers to Attwood's music. [Daron Gardner] lake:desert If there's
one thing that's essential for Yellow 6's music, it has to be time. The music
itself hasn't changed that much since Jon Attwood aka Yellow6 released his
previous recordings, it's still the same mixture of ambient, spacious
post-rock and echoeing guitars straight out of the English shoegazer scene.
Not much happening you think at first. Or is there? Just like on his earlier
records, Yellow 6 alters your state of mind one bit at a time, making his
music once again a vehicle to induce complete relaxation. And because of its
extensive length, 'Lake: Desert' is as hypnotic as music can be; the
extensive length is essential to fully appreciate the music. Does it matter
that Yellow 6 hasn't evolved much since his last recordings? Or that his
songs resemble eachother quite strongly? Not really. This is not about songs,
it's about mood, atmosphere, state of mind. And since time is of the essence
here, now it's time to push play again. And again. by Bas
Ickenroth kindamuzik.net with
lake:desert, leicestershire musician jon attwood aka yellow6 follows through
with the promise that was made with his first two full length albums. No big
steps have been taken since we last heard from attwood, but seeing as he
truly has something to say with his wide-open sound fields of atmospheric
drones and flowing beats that's not any reason at all to lower my level of
excitement. Yellow6 gives us 70 minutes of precise slowly shifting images of
water flowing, air moving and billowing on a deserted railroad platform on an
exceptionally wintry and dark december morning. As you stand there, gazing at
nothing in particular you realize how beautiful it all is. This is where
yellow6 comes in, with his unhurried mix of guitar washes, desolate drones
and the occasional beat he presents ambient meanderings perfect for this kind
of environment. Therse beautifully textured pieces glide into the
trance-inducing realms of folks like windy&carl, stars of the lid and
landing from the very start and never lets go. Yellow6 unfolds a
seamlessconnection of rails that stretch from from border to border of this
equally restful and haunting landscape. Let the sonic colours of lake:desert
bleed through your ears, and I promise you won't be able to turn it off until
the sun rises again. it's in complete darkness that this one will really hit
you. Mats
Gustafsson, broken face #13 decay:repeat Mark Barton, Losing today Last release
for this missive goes to the debut label outing for Hong Kong based TeleRAN
Records. Limited to just 500 copies, the first release features the
workaholic talents of Jon Attwood, better know in musical circles as Yellow
6. This 3 inch CD features two tracks entitled 'Decay: Repeat' that were
recorded during the same sessions that gave birth to the latest Ochre album
'Lake: Desert' though not included in the final track listing. Weighing it at
an amazing 20 minutes in total duration these compositions perfectly
exemplify the trademark Yellow 6 sound. 'Decay' starts with the sound of
heartbeat like punctures in the cosmic fabric before the waves of sublime
chords come crashing in. One of the lasting features of Yellow 6's craft is
the sense of liberation that the improvisations invoke upon you. 'Decay' is
similarly treated such, the opening moments almost beckoning you within, the
swathes of atmospheric ambience almost entreating you to lose yourself in the
splendour of it all, the stately structures almost tracing latter career Talk
Talk. 'Repeat' on the other hand is more fragmented in appeal, if 'Decay' was
a fuller and more colourful approach, then 'Repeat' poses a more stripped and
monochromed air about it. Overall the better of the two, 'Repeat' is in
essence a remix of 'Decay' the tasteful addition of drone like sparks of
distortion and fuzz scratch at the slow unfolding sweet melody beneath. An
epic adventure in soundtrack chic, close your eyes and let the colours and
images fill your mind. music for
pleasure The latest
Yellow 6 release is the first CD release for the previously vinyl only label
Rocket Racer. This release joins the ranks of the many previously reviewed
Yellow 6 albums on fakejazz, and the positive theme of these
reviews will certainly continue here. Having given Yellow 6's Postcard EP a glowing
12, I'm not exactly sure where to start with this one, since I like it even
more. Nothing
significant has changed with this release, and maybe nothing has changed at
all, which makes it difficult to explain why I like this one more than the
others (with the exception of the Icanhearthemusicallaroundme 12"). The
same washes of guitar are present, the same fluid beats, but, like the
Icanhearthemusicallaroundme release, this one seems to have a bit more depth
and presence than the others. Beyond that I'm really not sure what sets this
release apart from me; it seems to be slightly more melancholy than the
Postcard EP and Overtone but not widely different in any other way. If you've
read any of the previous reviews of Yellow 6, you can probably stop reading
here, since the following descriptions will be quite familiar to you. Tracks three
and four are particularly good. Track three features a plucked guitar theme
on top of warm drones accented by just the right beat. Track four (my
favorite) has a bit of a stronger deep bass beat and features fading drones
that overlap and bleed into each other seamlessly. This pattern is accented
by the eventual addition of more (electronic) cymbals and what sounds like a
sample of fingers squeaking across the strings of a guitar. This description
may sound rather unremarkable, but that's what is so great about Yellow 6--he
can make something remarkable out of fairly unremarkable elements. Further
descriptions would really be useless, so let me just stop here and say buy
this album and buy it now (because it's limited to only 500 copies). pete baumann
/ fakejazz.com 12/12 A
limited-edition release but one which will certainly satisfy those who
enjoyed the first album, 'Music For Pleasure' is the second full-length recording
from Jon Attwood AKA Yellow6. The main criticism levelled at Attwood would be
that these 11 tracks don't deviate noticeably from the formula of the first
but when the music on offer is as quietly fascinating as this it seems
churlish to complain. This time there are moments of Durutti Column-like
subtle, chiming guitars as well as Attwood's own superior mixing skills which
sound up-to-date and vital rather than a hackneyed attempt at jumping the
bandwagon. Along with Labradford there are few instrumental groups which
marry minimalism with such ageless emotional effect. * Standout Track -
And-Is (jonathan
leonard, leonard's lair) 4 out of 5 overtone Yellow
6 are the ambient meanderings of Jon Atwood who has recently been a part of
the Jonathon Whisky Armed with a
drum machine (and a great sense of how to use it, which is rare), a guitar,
and some effects, Jon Fitting in
with such bands as Windy & Carl and Labradford, "Overtone" is
definitely the prettiest new drone I've (dick
baldwin, fakejazz) 11/12 Yellow6 –
Overtone 4 out of 5 Rather like
the similarly-styled Avrocar, Yellow 6 specialise in music that can only be
appreciated late at night * Standout
Track - Plastic Wheels (leonard’s lair) ~ catherine
whiskey ep If 4AD
had retained more than a shred of its former greatness, they would probably
be releasing Yellow 6. Like Jon Attwood
(A.K.A. Yellow 6) is similar in approach to some other well known Brits in
the genre (Dave Pearce Jon Attwood
adds to this fuzzy ambience, though, some of the smoothest, and as far as I'm
concerned, best beat programming in the genre. Attwood has a talent for
smooth, flowing beats unheard (at least by me) since Mark Clifford of
Seefeel. As a result the beats are not distracting (as is the case with beat
experiments attempted by other bands), but add a depth and an accent that
propels the song rather than contradicts it. I'm sure
it's clear by now how I feel about Yellow 6 so I'll finish it all up by
talking about some of my favorite (Pete
baumann / fakejazz) 12/12 icanhearthemusicallaroundme Icanhearthemusicallaroundme
is a vinyl-only mini-LP. It only has 6 songs, all 5 or 6 minutes long, which
makes This
12" offers a slightly different angle to the band than I've heard
before. Songs like "I Can Hear" and "Self I listened
to this record the day we had our first snow of the winter and the first
track, "N.Y.E.," was the perfect The vinyl is
thick, and the cover art is very nice and fits the music perfectly. At the
moment, this is my favorite |
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