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Culminating the passions of a mind in motion subtractiveLAD (aka Stephen Hummel) commends to the world 11 pieces - 11 transporting fantasies from his Minor Deities (76'02"). Stepping inside (where we will not contemplate the life of this artist, but rather the ideas that drive it) this release makes audible an internal frequency of truth. In a track by track breakdown we find that each one seems different in makeup. Yet something indescribable joins them together into a weave of complexly connected stories. Utilizing mesmerizing colors, patterns and textures Hummel conjures an electro-rush immediacy with craftsman-like proficiency and attention to detail. Charting a course of subtle emotions Minor Deities delivers a strange mix of sensations: apprehension, fixation, wonder, gratitude - slowed down into a fantasy of coiled up power. Dark and measured, borne by its own momentum, further in the unstable material rises in reckless motion. Ethereal choirs and strings offer certainty while elsewhere sinister chords swell in gentle sonic turbulence. From synth jams and whispering ambience to surreal stillness and tender melodic engagement, this album captures a range of beautiful, elusive moods. In one corner a rising sequencer run leads us to space, then disperses into stardust heavens. Another zone produces a fragile twilight atmosphere of fragility and repose. Taking flight in various imaginative manipulations of sound, lilting piano notes and heavenly vocalize enchant the dreamy drama - easing these electronic scenes in a remarkable chill. Music of this quality can move us toward something higher at the best of times, or at the very least exist as a reminder of our collective human potential, creativity, and spirituality. Minor Deities deserves that the act of listening be an act of intelligence - with the listener truly attending and adoring what they are hearing.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 27 October 2022 |
