Manafon (album)

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Manafon
David sylvian manafon.jpg
Studio album by
David Sylvian
Released14 September 2009
Recordedbetween 2004–2007 in Vienna, Tokyo, London
Genre Avant-garde
Length49:48
Label Samadhi Sound
Producer David Sylvian
David Sylvian chronology
When Loud Weather Buffeted Naoshima
(2007)		Manafon
(2009)		 Sleepwalkers
(2010)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 80/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
musicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Pitchfork 7.4/10 [4]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [6]

Manafon is the seventh full-length studio album by David Sylvian, released on 14 September 2009 by the Samadhisound label. It is an avant-garde work combining elements of free improvisation, experimental rock and chamber music. It reached rank No. 6 in The Wire's list of best 2009 albums. [7]

Contents

Production

Manafon was recorded over a three-year period in Vienna, Tokyo and London. [8] Of the recording process, Sylvian said:

"There was nothing written when we went into the studio – this was very much free improvisation. So, the selection of the group of musicians for each improvisation was paramount. I recognized on the day which pieces could work for me. The process was that I took the material away and then wrote and recorded the vocal line over in a couple of hours. So I couldn't analyze my contribution and that in a way was my form of improvisation – and I enjoyed the rapidity of response." [9]

"I take the sessions and work on them at a later time. I attempt to 'improvise' lyrics and melodies as I go, writing and recording all in a matter of hours. The basic tracks themselves undergo little or no editing as such. The structure pretty much remains as given from the original sessions. I might add an introduction or overdub other elements onto the original take. Here's a couple of examples: "Senseless Violence": Recorded in Vienna with Rowe/Polwechsel/Fennesz. I added guitar parts then layered Tilbury's piano into the track then added the vocal and an introduction. "Greatest Living Englishman: Initial take" suggested acoustic guitar overdubs which I requested of Otomo and Tetuzi on the spot. I later cut and pasted some interesting turntable activity from an alternate take onto this track. I also added an introduction by cutting and pasting elements from an earlier take. Tilbury was added to the coda. Melody and vocal s added. "Rabbit Skinner": no editing. Added acoustic guitar myself then vocals." [10]

Lyrical inspiration

For the recording of Manafon, Sylvian was also inspired by the Welsh poet R. S. Thomas: lyrics often reflect the main themes written by the poet and the title of the album refers indeed to a Welsh namesake village (in north Powys) in which Thomas lived for a while. [11]

"Manafon is indeed a village in Wales, a village in which Thomas lived for sometime and served as rector to the parish. In this small village, Thomas had trouble filling the pews of a Sunday but in a sense it was something of an idyllic spot in which to raise a child (a strict, taciturn and somewhat indifferent parent), master his profession and write his poetry. So, the physically real village became for me a metaphor for the poetic imagination.", said Sylvian. [9]

The 7th track refers to Emily Dickinson, [12] whose poems Sylvian would later use: "A Certain Slant Of Light" [13] and "I Should not Dare (for N.O)" [14] would be part of Died in the Wool in 2010, while "I Measure Every Grief I Meet" would appear on a 2024 recording read by Sylvian. [15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by David Sylvian

No.TitleLength
1."Small Metal Gods"5:49
2."The Rabbit Skinner"4:41
3."Random Acts of Senseless Violence"7:06
4."The Greatest Living Englishman"10:55
5."125 Spheres"0:29
6."Snow White in Appalachia"6:35
7."Emily Dickinson"6:25
8."The Department of Dead Letters"2:25
9."Manafon"5:23
Total length:49:48
Vinyl and Japanese CD bonus track
No.TitleLength
10."Random Acts of Senseless Violence" (Remixed by Dai Fujikura)6:24
Total length:56:12

A limited edition boxed set came with a DVD of the album in 5.1 Surround Sound, and a feature-length making-of documentary, Amplified Gesture.

Personnel

Musicians

Production

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References

  1. ↑ "Manafon by David Sylvian" . Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  2. ↑ Allmusic review
  3. ↑ MusicOMH review
  4. ↑ "David Sylvian: Manafon Album Review – Pitchfork" . Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  5. ↑ "Music – Slant Magazine" . Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  6. ↑ "UNCUT – The spiritual home of great rock music" . Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  7. ↑ Cf. the official David Sylvian website Retrieved 1 March 2012
  8. ↑ "Manafon". David Sylvian : Expect Everything And Nothing Less. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  9. 1 2 Sharma, Paul (11 September 2009). "David Sylvian and the Mysterious Sound of Inspiration – WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  10. ↑ "A Conversation". Manafon.com. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  11. ↑ "A Certain Slant Of Light (for M.K.)". David Sylvian : Expect Everything And Nothing Less. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  12. ↑ Troussé, Stephen (2 September 2022). "David Sylvian – Blemish/Manafon". UNCUT. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  13. ↑ "A Certain Slant Of Light". David Sylvian : Expect Everything And Nothing Less. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  14. ↑ "I Should Not Dare (for N.O.)". David Sylvian : Expect Everything And Nothing Less. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  15. ↑ "I Measure Every Grief I Meet". David Sylvian : Expect Everything And Nothing Less. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
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