CoH – Seasons

This album is about 4th release from COH this year, but it is really a new one, no lost recordings, re-issues or compilation.
4 paintings and 4 pieces are to represent the year's seasons - recorded and painted from summer 2001 to spring 2002 by Ivan Pavlov and his wife. Deliberately conceived and packed on a limited double 12" vinyl set in a glossy gatefold cover.
Also the concept itself has obvious parallels to Coil's Equinox / Solstice
project COH's approach is different, less magickal perhaps but not less impressive.
" The Colour Of Beauty, Summer Is Red (A Forest Fire For Fèlix Lajkó) " starts with a 'suffering' violin by Janesse Stewart set against Pavlov's computer generated structure. His idea of summer is quite different from the obvious ones; there's no hint of beach life or good times outside but an instant pressure like when the heat reached it's peak and people are about to turn crazy.
The accompanying painting is the front cover and the listener follows the trees trough the year graphically and musically.
" As Ripe As Autumn's Tears " is very sparse and melancholic. The autumn tree itself is overripe behind the pouring rain. A field recording by Peter Christopherson of November rain opens the piece before COH plays the Grand Piano in an abstract minimal way. Finally both ingredents find together and the overall mood is very calm and nearly ritualistic.

" Winter Broading Underneath " once again features J. Stewart, this time on Cello but only echoes of it are recognizable in the frosty and compact drone piece. This is the shortest and harshest of the four, bleak trees in the dark accompany this one graphically.
" Springs Come Shooting : Make Love, Make War " closes the circle and is the most accessible track. In the beginning reminiscent of COH as he is known; an sparkling optimistic manipulated sequence by Tin-y dominates the first half until it crashes into an heavy drone Guitar solo by Ivan Pavlov.
Dedicated to the god Mars and the artist Russel Haswell (probably in reverse order), while the trees on the back cover grow together in an act of love in front of a blue sky.

'Seasons' is probably his most sincere and ambitious work yet but also his most unconstrained in use of structures and instrumentation. A great and promising step sideways from his semi laptop pop stardom and maybe even a glimpse of what the future might bring.

Reviewed for The Brain in 2002.

A sublimely delicate work by Pavlov (COH) showing hints of subtle beauty that resonate in-between the spaces of sound and silence. Quit a departure from his laptop electronica and a glorious album that is easily his most ambitious work.

if you have ever heard COH before, this work might irritate you. the sharp-edged electronics which have been so typical for his style up to now, only show up on side d. all other tracks are very calm, even some acoustic instruments like grand piano, cello and a violin have been embedded. to call this an ambient record, would not miss the point.