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George Wallace comes from a town near Philadelphia. Where the music on The Art of Imagining (69'23") comes from is hard to tell. Back to rescue our over stimulated brains this talented multi-instrumentalist has realized another album to take us places we cannot get to with anyone else. A veteran storyteller Wallace again aspires to get us thinking in new ways. The beckoning atmosphere is at once sensual and unsettled, and celebrates the private sphere - where originality, conscious and self-understanding thrive. From sombre abstractions to full-voiced declarations, The Art of Imagining is a varied, enticing and alluring listen. A lucid demonstration of composition, production and execution it reveals new layers on every spin. Pleasantly meandering, its swirling sounds and mellow melodies relate an endlessly engaging spacey saga of release. As instruments and harmonies come and go each piece inhales and exhales. While at one point a composition may lose its shape, or even collapse, further in the energy sparks and grants new life. Wonderfully diverse in its arrangement, this episodic work is full of enticing synth-borne melodies, arcane samples and dreamlike spheres. Each track offers its own keenly calibrated shift of perception. In a tricky combination of timing, vibration and light, subtle swings in contrast keep you attentive and charmed. Attaining a surreal poetry in the slow march through a minor key grand piano notes resound through dense harmonic textures. Complimenting the high sonic style reverberant guitar strings provide focus, and point the way ahead. From cloud gentle, mental soundscapes to ethno-chill filled spaces, these seven tracks are an impressive collection of songs and views from a detailed interior realm. Listening to The Art of Imagining we should feel less alone in our private experience. Whether just the truth of a complex heart, or the solitary testimony of the soul, the unmistakable tone of healing and hope permeate these compositions - confirming that magic lurks around every corner, if you leave yourself open to hearing it.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 29 July 2021 |
