The late, great Mark Barton was known for fashioning words in the most thoughtful and poetic of ways, as his excellent reviews proved. Now, a mass of artistic admirers/friends (all of whom have been reviewed by Barton and none of whom are of the blah mainstream) has come forth to pay homage to the writer in The Sunday Experience. (For the record, Barton had fallen victim to lung cancer, and a tribute album was in the works for quite some time; alas, he was unable to experience the gamut of this endearing labor before his departure.)
As a sweet salute, The Sunday Experience is massive in its piling of tracks. The digital download, for example, contains submissions from the following artists: Harold Nono; Kiran Leonard; Bigflower; the Bordellos; Isan; Schizo Fun Addict; the Lovely Eggs; John 3:16; Rothko; Yellow 6; Godflesh; Needle Into a Bug; Wizards Tell Lies; Moon Duo; Polypores; JD Meatyard; FortDax; and Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs. The CD version features all of the above (some of whom supply additional tracks), plus submissions by the Sexual Objects; Pulselovers; the Gaa Gaas; Xqui; Haq; Whizz Kid; Sendelica; Eat Lights, Become Lights; Vilmmer; Exile Pots; the Cleaners from Venus; and Phil Reynolds and the Uncertain Futures.
This wealth of artists should indicate how important Barton was to them, but to pigeonhole any one artist's contribution would be next to impossible, considering the endeavor's thickness. Instead, it's suffice to perceive The Sunday Experience as an ever entwining thread that fuels each contribution from each and every expressive end, with sounds (vocals and instrumentation) that leave a strong and varied collective.
These connecting orchestrations consist of pathos, pmpathy, some quite lyrical, like Kiran Leonard's "Pink Fruit", while others are pleasantly numbing, like The Gaa Gaas' "Hypnoti(z)ed".
"Antics in the Maze" by Haq feels like a groovy television theme for some psychic investigator; and "Nature's Reserve" by Eat Lights, Become Lights has a sort of theatrical, Vangelis vibe, only a lot darker than one would expect from the latter.
How do such selections tie to this respected writer? Well, it comes down to Barton's proven ability to capture the bounce and sway of whatever he reviewed: eclectic mixes, no more or less, pressed with insight. And that's what The Sunday Experience summons: varied compositions that one can ruminate upon all within an idyllic day, even when some of the enclosed sounds deliver punches harder than hell.
Bottom line: The Sunday Experience is a labor of love for a man whom many loved and respected. No doubt Mr. Barton is listening to it all from above, while the rest of us take delight in the finished product from humble, terrestrial turf:
https://bearsuitrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mark-bartons-the-sunday-experience.
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