c e l l o d r e a m s

subway icarus / last dream (2010 solo cello)

listen to individual tracks ...

track » falling / rapture (1:37) - harmonica sound sample by sammy macon

track » bent (6:41)

track » pierce the night / sweet angel (7:36)

track » winged darkness (4:36)

track » glassy fires (4:42)

track » and sky and sky and sky (5:01)

listen to the whole album ....

» subway icarus / last dream podcast (mp3)

notes ....

this album explores an urban character named subway icarus as he/she experiences falling or being "raptured" through transcendence. this is an emotional/narrative arc that often runs through my live performances. this album was my first cd- length recorded excursion across a larger narrative. my albums/journals before this time had largely focused more on specific sound explorations. for example, my recording "rain clouds" (2007) explored a drone-based minimalism, "lines" (2007) examined single-line cello, and "cloth" (2008) focused on texture and chance layering. i first experienced new york city as a 17-year old and have returned often. the sound and gritty textures of the cityscape seared themselves into my imagination. for "subway icarus / last dream" i leaned towards a post-punk classical sound to express the story. the tracks include:

falling / rapture (3:35): this densely-textured, distortion-laced, disorienting wall of sound roots our character's dream in an urban dissonance.
bent (6:40): a textured space lies on top of an atonal drone created by playing the space between bridge and tailpiece on the cello. this drone is a recurrent sound in many of these tracks. it provides a thematic backdrop for the narrative.
pierce the night / sweet angel (7:35): this consists of two parts/"themes". throughout the entire track there is an offset replicate melodic layer. this is inspired by the tape delay experiments of composers such as steve reich and terry riley.
winged darkness! (4:35):
glassy fires (4:41): a blurred, high-pitched harmonic vision of lights or trash-can fires.
and sky and sky and sky (5:00): a simple, still blurred hint at transcendence - flat on the back / face to sky.

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