DAVID SYLVIAN Manafon (2009 UK 9-track CD album - While 2003's 'Blemish' startled long-time fans with its emotional rigour, Sylvian has taken the next step with his first solo album in 6 years. During sessions in London, Vienna, and Tokyo, Sylvian assembled the world's leading improvisers and innovators, artists who explore free improvisation, space-specific performance, and live electronics. From Evan Parker and Keith Rowe, to Fennesz and members of Polwechsel, to Sachiko M and OtomoYoshihide, the musicians provide both a backdrop and a counterweight to his own vocal performances – which, minus one instrumental, are nakedly the center of each piece. Intuition drew Sylvian to these pieces and these players, and the surprises they bring: a cello visiting like a warm hand on a forehead, the unpredictable use of unadulterated sine waves, the brassy path of Evan Parker's soprano sax solo. 'Manafon' has a forbidding core, but aesthetically, each piece is an engrossing discovery. Within a sealed fold-out digipak picture sleeve featuring exquisite artwork from Ruud Van Empel and designed by Chris Bigg!).