Subespai - Saints

 Released: December 5

Returning to music after a years-long hiatus, Spanish composer Mauri Edo brings us a new release under his pseudonym Subespai. The album consists of two haunting and elusive in nature long-form tracks that are centered around two traditional tunes, each corresponding to the festivals which celebrate the saints they are named after. The tunes themselves represent the elusive part of each track, buried under the sometimes repetitive and sometimes errant noises surrounding them. They are there, if you listen intently enough and are somewhat familiar with them, you’ll hear them. 

On the first of these two pieces, the tune is clear for a brief moment as it is played on a flute or some other similar instrument, recorded somewhat roughly as it struggles to stay above the fray of an active shoreline. It feels incredibly poignant for some reason as we hear it force its way through the noise with a sort of quiet resolve. As it slowly succumbs to the environment, the deep drones and fading sounds of nature take over the track for some time, until the tune makes a labored return, now bent and bowed over by the other more complex pieces of the track. It feels moving and somber, but with this ever so faint glimmer of hope interspersed. 

The second piece of the album, named after Saint Anthony, is much more subtle in its application of the traditional music. It’s hard to discern for much of it, but somehow still detectable at points. The subtle noises and shifts play a far more prominent and overwhelming role here with parts that are so soft as to be almost undetectable. The flow of this pieces feels much more relaxed, more peaceful and serene, even with the strange textures that comprise it. It’s a more subtle ending to an album that opened with the rushing forces of nature and a single wind instrument that stood against it.