WHEN LIGHT - Holographic Topographies

 Released: March 4 

There is something profoundly hypnotic about this album. Over eleven tracks, we’re exposed to a number of unconventional compositions that all share a certain penchant for more or less delicate tones arranged into peculiar rhythms. There’s no a whole lot of variance within each individual track, but none of them become stale in their runtime either. Instead, they each manage to capture a certain little moment and hold on to it for just the right amount of time, guiding the listener on an odd journey through random thoughts on consciousness, quantum physics, and difficult to fully grasp concepts. 

Much like the concepts this collection of tracks are based upon, the more you try to nail down their specifics, the more blurry they become. In this way, parsing out the individual tracks becomes a bit of an exercise. What is particularly neat about the album is that each track is almost completely improvised modular synthesis recorded as a single track. There are no parts to speak of, just unitary pieces of sound exploration. With that said, there are a few particular tracks that were among my favorite moments, including “Cosmic Inflation,” “Lungfish,” and “Secret People.” All of which play on these unusual percussive rhythms that seem to repeat ad infinitum while also experiencing slight manipulations and additions that go almost unnoticed at first. 

At the end of the album, alll of these neat percussive blips and bloops suddenly disappear. Instead, we have the nearly thirty minute long “Strange Attractor” that takes us deep into the realm of hypnotic drone. It s perhaps one of the most calming experiences I’ve ever heard at the end of album as it both distinct and indistinct in its approach. The soft ebb of the pads and the accompanying noisy edges of it swell and recede repeatedly, giving the feeling of being adrift in a calm alien sea. I can’t say it’s is my favorite moment, but it is a bit unexpected in the best way.