Diminished Composition
The opening drone of Diminished Composition is onyx in its colour, a black, sweeping movement nesting among the hanging stars. The unseeing cosmos breathes out and gives birth to the music, something that’s aeons old and yet forever young. Pillars of dust gently touch the cloudy surface of the echoing, swelling drone. In reality, ‘Inland Empire’ plays out its life in the cold, but time heals, and as the seconds pass the record gradually lightens. This cool, moody opening is paving the way for brighter things still to come, and the drones use the darker cavern and its notoriously rocky incline as a stepping stone to ultimately enter the light. They’re on their way to a better place. The slightly melancholic drones coil around each other, slowly progressing with a fluid, water-like motion that belies the tired and aching weight of the drone. Fatigued they may be, but they never give up; they never stop searching for the light and the promise of hope that it brings. If you view the album as a whole, ‘Inland Empire’ seems like it’s separated, dislocated and living alone, as if in exile.
Willamette is the project of Joseph Yonker, Davin Chong and Kevin Chong, and their ambient music is as lovely as Paris in February. There’s a special kind of clarity to the tone despite its dull, bass-heavy angle of attack…
A clear mind and an open heart perfumes the drone, and otherworldly moments of untainted, everlasting tranquillity wash up on the aural shores.
Out on Scissor Tail, Diminished Composition is awash with beautifully subtle colours and softly pushed contrasts, ambient music emanating and imitating life itself; lighter spells of sunshine are occasionally and unavoidably eclipsed by darker shades. Echoing, closed horns continuously glow, but it’s a weak, unstable light. The light is tightly cinched and muted, only a glimmer, and that’s what intentionally deprives the music of a brighter sound. All in all, the record has a healthy, rosy colour to its cheeks. A harmonious aura surrounds its angelic sound, and it surrounds it completely, like a halo.
A tender, almost sensual harmony enters, driving slowly. At this point, the soul of the music is postclassical, but the deep, layered textures never dissolve, depriving the music of placing two feet in the strictly classical genre. Its sighing sound has been around for a long time. A softly played piano enters, but the treated drones soon return, encompassing the music. Its circular loop only heightens the sense of serenity; you’ll find yourself relaxing as the tones wash over you. As the record disappears, you start to feel a little alone. That’s what Diminished Composition does to you; it enters your being and shares its heart with you, its dark romance weaving in and around your life.
Available through Stashed Goods