Vinyl - Robert Crosbie / Geisha - A Sound is a Memory

“A Sound Is A Memory” is the fourth album by Irish electronic music artist Robert Crosbie / Geisha.

The music on this album could be described as “electronic”, but it’s so much more than that. Featuring live guitars, keyboards, percussion, saxophone, and wall-of-sound psychedelia, each track on the album segues into the next, creating a continuous flow of music.

A key element of the album are tapes made by Robert when he was a child - radio plays, snatches of music, children's voices chattering and singing. These samples weave in and out of the music, creating a layer of mystery and playfulness.

This is most evident in the opening track, "Journey To The Centre Of Within". It acts as an overture for the rest of the album, as it throws all the tapes together to make one big noise, before seguing into the frantic techno propulsion of "The Joy Of Life".

"We" is deep house meets ambient. Developed around a six note melody, the track features lush guitars, piano, voices, ambient soundscapes, and flows directly into "The Loss Of Innocence", which begins with an ambient introduction. Building to a peak, it settles into a slow, languid downtempo section, with slide guitars and washes of electronic sound.

"Matchsticks" utilises an unusual arrangement: Latin drums and clicking castanets are joined by two saxophones, playing a doleful melody, and sounds from an iPhone app. Weaving in and out of the music are children's voices, looped and twisted beyond recognition.

"There's No Colours In Space" takes a loping hip hop beat and adds swirls of psychedelic noise and chunky bass. "Floating Over The Ocean..." with seaside sounds and bouncy bassline sums up exactly what the title suggests, while closer "I Have Rainbow On Me" takes a treated guitar figure and builds to a crescendo, with crunchy drum breaks, distorted guitars, and ambient synths.