The Angelic Conversaton

by Peter Werner - boe666@u.washington.edu

This CD represents the long awaited release of Coil's score for the Derek Jarman 1985 film "The Angelic Conversation". Coil's sonic alchemy is here applied to predominantly orchestral samples; whether remixing these samples into new orchestral structures or drawing out the sound of an orchestra's tuning-up to its full ambient potential, "classical" sounds are used in an innovative and gorgeous way.

"Angelic Conversation" includes not only Coil's score, but the entire soundtrack of the film. The inclusion of sound effects from the movie works very well, blending wonderfully with the music (which makes sense in light of the fact that Peter Christopherson was one of the sound designers on the film); however, the inclusion of the Shakespeare soliloquys narrated in the film is more problematic. They help establish an overall mood for the various pieces, but often they stand in the way of the music. (Personally, I'd *love* to get my hand on a copy of "Cave of Roses" without the disruptive narration.)

Overall, this CD is something of a flawed masterpiece; a must for Coil completists (though it should be noted that there are several tracks on this CD, notably "How To Destroy Angels", that have been released elsewhere) or anyone interested in the more post-classical side of Coil.