stardust multiplier - Transmissions of a Grassworld

Released: October 9

On the surface, Transmissions of a Grassworld is a rather straightforward ambient affair. Small yet luscious pads filter about with gentle bits of tonal percussion flutter through large but still intimate spaces. But there’s an overarching theme throughout as the elements come in and out of the space. A sense of effortlessness pervades in each sound that intercedes into and recedes out of the constructed space. It often feels as though the artist is not the creator of the sounds but merely the receiver and the conduit. In the opening track, “Gold and Green,” this  manifests as a sort of base layer in the space that gradually but surely invites the other elements to come and join it. A low and thumping tone bounces up and down as pads and keys slowly contribute to swirl until it all falls away to leave us with a sustained pad that signals the end of this chapter.

The structure of each track follows from the previous, always coming in gently and letting the elements assemble themselves into an amorphous yet present constellation of sounds. Bright spots plink about in the form of gentle key plucks and environmental noises. “Kings in the Cavern” does this in seemingly the most subtle ways with an almost imperceptible prescience at times. Every element practices a certain subtlety, making itself known only through careful listening at first, then slowly swelling up momentarily then fading away once again. 

Once we come to the final three tracks, the environmental elements come into view. Soft drips of water as it pools up in small low spots come in on the first of these as a gentle harmony comes into play. Echoey and windy pads insert themselves briefly near the end so that they may give way to the song of wild birds and a further accumulation of trickling water. The second comes in much the same but strikes a slightly darker tone later on as the accompaniment of heavy pads and synthesized melody comes in. The tone remains slightly tense, but never approaches anything discomforting, staying firmly within the bounds of the constructed space. The final piece of this album this the darker tone established and morphs it into something pensive, emotive, and even akin to any elegy. The fractured melody of the piano is soothing, introspective, and bittersweetly comforting.