Diminished Composition is Willamette's first full-length in almost five years. This degree of deliberation has yielded nine stunning ambient tracks that, taken together, suggest a soundtrack in search of a film. And yet there is a semblance of a narrative, a sense of the cinematic, as the faintly rendered samples evoke longing and heartbreak. These compositions are deceptively simple, with sound textures playing such a key role that the sublime details are easy to overlook. A good of set headphones will help nurture these songs, coax out their subtleties, and allow them to reach full bloom.
Brushstrokes of drone are applied with deftness to a sonically eroded canvas. The looped breaths on "At Last And Dead Horse" are nearly imperceptible, while "End of Good Discipline" pairs wistful strings and piano with the rattle of a film projector. Many songs, like "Four Films (Films Four)" paint serene soundscapes in layers of warm tones.
Understated and unadorned, Diminished Composition erodes beautifully, then invites listeners to survey the ruins.
(Scissor Tail)Brushstrokes of drone are applied with deftness to a sonically eroded canvas. The looped breaths on "At Last And Dead Horse" are nearly imperceptible, while "End of Good Discipline" pairs wistful strings and piano with the rattle of a film projector. Many songs, like "Four Films (Films Four)" paint serene soundscapes in layers of warm tones.
Understated and unadorned, Diminished Composition erodes beautifully, then invites listeners to survey the ruins.