Track Listing:
(click links for mp3 samples)
1. The Beauty of Woman
2. Where the Void is Known
3. Movement of the Earth
4. The Goodness of Traitors
5. Hunter as Soldier
6. The
Snow
7. Floor of the Forest
8. Friendship of an Unprintable Nature
9. Beloved
10. The Prospect Becoming a Man
$9.99
Jeffrey Roden: Electric Bass
Brandon LaBelle: Drums
Jennifer Hardaway: Vocals
Steve Roden : Sounds, Loops, and Electronics
All Music Arranged and Composed by: Jeffrey Roden
Produced by: Steve Roden
Engineered and Mixed by: Andrew Bush
Mastered by: William Cook
The music for the "The Floor of the Forest” was premiered at the first Los Angeles "Beyond Music Sound Festival" in 1998. Other performances included the Los Angeles' experimental music festival.
"Unique and beautiful. Reminds me of the 'Obscure' releases of the seventies with pieces by Jan Steele and some John Cage piano pieces like 'in a landscape'."
"First-rate collection of serious music. It is a great album."
"One of the hardest things in making soft music is to keep it interesting and compelling. I think you do that here. Very beautiful and plaintive material that makes me think immediately of Durutti Clumn, Nick Drake or Arthur Russell. Highly recommended."
Jeffrey Roden's "The Floor of the Forest" was inspired by Ernest Hemingway's novel "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and each of the tracks that make up "The Floor of the Forest" pays homage to Hemingway's sure-handed way of producing work defined as what is only true and essential. With these sort of compositional precepts in mind, Jeffrey Roden's has crafted an excellent work that seems to be focused, strangely enough, around the bass guitar, his primary instrument, and very minimal melodic material. The minimal use of a melodic motif actually does more to punctuate the recording than one can hear after a single listen, which comparable to Hemingway's writing sort of leaves the feeling of a profound statement or epiphany left hanging by an ellipsis, only for that ellipsis to be some kind of gestation period for the point to sink in and be continued in the next paragraph. There are a variety of other timbres going on throughout the recording, the typical rock/jazz ensemble instrumentation, but refreshingly they are playing atypical roles, which makes Jeffrey Roden's "The Floor of the Forest" that much better. This is one of those great recordings that listeners can't say enough good things about. There's an aesthetic about this music that brings to mind Tortoise, but that's probably just the bass and its prominence in the compositional fabric; yet there's also something that seems strikingly ambient despite its use of the bass as a primary instrument, which is usually a no-no in that genre. Jeffrey Roden's "The Floor of the Forest" is fantastic recording. This is great work and one that will expand listeners' sonic consciousness with every listen. Great work.
The Floor of the Forest, released in 1999, is the latest release by California resident Jeffrey Roden. For this record Roden found his inspiration in Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls, and indeed this music immediately brings to mind the contemplative nature of the opening passages of this novel: "He lay flat on the brown, pine-needled floor of the forest, his chin on his folded arms, and high overhead the wind blew in the tops of the pine trees." Roden performs on electric bass, recorded close and with stunning intimacy. He is helped by Brandon Labelle on drums, Jennifer Hardaway (from the band Superman Loses the Girl) on vocals, and sound and visual artist Steve Roden (of in be tween noise, who is also Jeffrey's nephew) on electronics, sounds and loops. The compositions here are quiet and close recordings; they breathe of intimate spaces and contemplative moods. The bass lingers on its chords, or it strums in solitude. the drums roll slowly and lethargically, together creating something of a post-rock feel, but all very quiet and subdued. Occasional non-verbal vocals, sung in a casual, whispered tone by Jennifer Hardaway, add a further element of mystery to the equation, and Steve Roden's electronics are quiet and unobtrusive as probably the most subtle accompaniments here. Very nicely done, and an intriguing look into Jeffrey Roden's world of stillness and contemplation.
Yes, the surname is familiar - this is Steve's uncle, and both he and Brandon Labelle play on it (Steve offers sounds, loops and electronics, while Labelle plays drums). But it is, not surprisingly, quite a different musical animal. Jeffrey Roden plays a simple, sparse and evocative bass, which he uses to explore the dichotomy of Ernest Hemingway who, in 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', swings between guns and hunting and 'fixing men's hearts and loves upon the page'. To my ears, it is this second side which predominates. The main component is the generally gentle, questing bass, seeming to create simple melodies from notes carefully picked from the instrument. Labelle's drums are the next most obvious instrument, supporting the bass with understated rhythms and runs. Shimmering cymbals could be either Labelle or Steve, probably the later, whose atmospheres are subtly woven through. The final element is the voice of Jennifer Hardaway, who sings on a number of tracks.
While there is variation between the tracks, the work as a whole is moving towards creating a mood exemplified in the opening 'The beauty of women' which is largely the bass alone, with some support from the shimmering and some echo/delay processing. This follows through into 'Where the void is known' , but the mood shifts slightly halfway through when the drums join to provide a solid rhythm and Hardaway swings some nonverbal sounds, which provide a higher counterpoint to Roden's bass. Some deep, resonant and pulsing notes, joined by a simple drum pattern (alternating with a heartbeat), introduce 'Movement of the earth' which is faster (though still restrained), is accompanied by a chittering soft high tone, and has a complex conclusion. Voice and bass interplay in the first part of 'The goodness of traitors' to be joined by a complex and insistent drum, together with whispering effects.
'Hunter as soldier' is underscored by a constant quivering cymbal, which sets an edgy tone to some questioning bass work. Following a solo, the icy hightones, subtle drum and cymbal create 'The snow' as a cool ambience. 'Floor of the forest' is the longest, and most complex track - the solo voice picks out a melodic line, and is the joined by rapid drums, atmospheric tones and the bass, which gradually gather pace and complexity ending in a lovely fade. Rapid playing and a complex interplay with the drums and some subtle production underscore 'Friendship of an unprintable nature' before a return to a simpler structure in 'Beloved', before the minimal opening to 'The prospect of becoming a man', the voice enters for the last time, a brief duet and fade.
Subtlety, minimal and restrained are the key responses to this contemplative piece. It traverses a fairly narrow path in terms of its voice - the bass is such a key in every track, but the integration of the other elements provides sensitive balance and an opportunity for the music to suggest other directions. For the quiet moments, with a touch of jazz.