|
Brendan Pollard's ideal listener will have heard everything he has done. From his early work in Rogue Element, and other notable collaborations, to the promising solo release Expansion, and solid concert performances; in absorbing these milestones it is as if we are encountering the unfurling of an entire life's journey. On Strands (70:12) imagination finds form in sound. Above all the circuits, wires and electronic gear the creative spark ignites in a resoundingly meaningful Spacemusic adventure. Its eight tracks summon the spirit by encouraging a deeper form of listening - one that helps us reconnect with our own true selves and to those of others. Extending our conscious moments while deepening the cognitive state syncopated pulses of synthesized notes are deployed in a free-floating puzzle of metronomic, mesmeric, cycling sequencer patterns - their motifs and arrangements so very rhythmically intricate and meticulously woven. Ever present throughout Strands is Pollard's technical intensity and embrace of complexity. Yet, through the coded references of vintage flute, strings, choir and other superlunary Mellotron tones we may feel the pull of infinity. From cosmic quiet, to a palpable sense of propulsion, Strands exalts an inexhaustible joy of sonic possibilities. It is absorbing, and without all the undue attention catching of contemporary music, lending an introspective resonance known only at the outer edges of the thinking mind.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 13 March 2025 |
