Travels In Constants Vol 24
As well as being the founder of the seminal Stars of the Lid and one half of A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie has also lent his talented hands to a whole host of other projects, including The Dead Texan, Aix Em Klemm and Sleepingdog. For Travels In Constants Vol 24, Wiltzie has gone it alone, and as you might expect, it’s slow burning, sullen and sumptuous music. As well as being an all-round nice guy, Wiltzie is an ambient- classical legend. His emotionally sensitive music can both comfort and cry.
Last July, Wiltzie was in Budapest recording music with the Budapest Art Orchestra for the upcoming Stars of the Lid opus. Finishing the session early and with an orchestra on hand – the same orchestra that played on Conchita Wurst’s winning Eurovision song ‘Rise Like A Phoenix’ – Adam wrote and continued to record the four pieces of music presented here. Travels In Constants Vol 24 has a distinct, lid-like sound, a tonal quality that is peachy and pure. The thick tones are resolute, but they also drip like honey. Sleepy strings and slow, caressing progressions gradually inflate, giving a cinematic sound to the music. The drones soothe as they swell in the space.
“After all these years of composing music, it has taken recording with this Orchestra down in lovely Budapest to make me realize that no matter what I do I am hardwired for sleepy tunes, sad faces, and sullen memories…” – Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie
The four tracks are soft and short, but they still ferociously rock. The power’s like that of an earthquake. It could be said that the shorter the piece, the more potent it is. There’s a spiritual place that the music goes to; a serene transportation to a zone of meditation. Blue skies and closed eyes. This is ‘The Endless Battle of the Maudlin Ballade’, written in three parts. ‘Last Tango In Dendermonde’ starts off with a lonesome line, but eventually the crushing, full-string ensemble picks up the pace. It tugs and tugs. Universally beautiful it may be, but it’s always anchored to some kind of sadness. Incidentally, Stars of the Lid are long due a return, and their the upcoming album is still in a state of unhurried progress.