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sohannabarberaesque · 4 years

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“Underwater America with Peter Potamus” (episode 18: Off the Florida Panhandle in and around Pensacola)

[As this particular episode opens, we can easily imagine plenty of aerial action in and close to Pensacola, Florida and the Miracle Strip region, including the areas around Destin, Ft. Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island, as are the foci therefor]

PETER POTAMUS, narrating with Pensacola Beach in the background: And you thought the Florida Panhandle was hardly worth diving ... at any rate, yours truly and crew have plenty of interesting diving ahead, including (if you can believe it) some interesting spearfishing opportunities made even more so by a rather steep near-shore dropoff in the Gulf of Mexico, whence our diving adventures will be experienced this week.

[Highlights of candid footage taken from the drive out of Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, site of last week’s dive, towards the Florida Panhandle, fill this space while Peter narrates--]

Somehow, word had gotten out to us after Grand Lake up Oklahoma way that some “especially close acquaintenances” wanted to meet us at some club down Pensacola way ... yep, good old Pensacola, the Cradle of Naval Aviation ... and it almost seemed so cryptic until we reached the night life district of Pensacola Beach [entering this particular bar/restaurant, finding seats and all that], and--wouldn’t you believe it ...no less than the Cattanooga Cats were performing!!

[Here, we can see the feline quartet of Country, Kitty Jo, Groove and Scoots, assisted by Kitty Jo’s pet hound, Teeny Tim, performing on what passed for the stage of this bar--er, more like winding up their set when ...]

KITTY JO, with much enthusiasm: And I understand that we have Peter Potamus and a few of his close friends in the house this evening ... so could we have them come on the stage, please, and give them a great big wonderful Cattanooga Cats welcome?!!

[Which they do, and then some, going into quite the hugging session.]

PETER POTAMUS, picking up the narration: Well, now we knew who was looking for us all along heading over here! And were they surprised to learn where we happened to be doing some underwater filming in these parts ... [switching to backstage “after ths show,” featuring a “make-your-own” grits bar] ... and over plenty of that Southern staple known as hominy grits, you wouldn’t believe the conversation that was flowing! Especially coming from Scoots, the band’s musical jack-of-all-trades, as it were!

SCOOTS, over another spoonful of grits: I have to admit that I’m something of a pretty decent diving cat myself ... even if I learned the art at a “swimmin’ hole” back in the holler where I was growing up, in the midst of a rather warm summer which saw my mother go into nervous breakdown such that Pop asked me out of the house during the day just for her sake ... and I would have to credit one Amy Catline, a regular at the swimmin’ hole, for teaching me some worthwhile things, life in particular, that oh so muggy summer!

[You could just hear the “awwwwwws” throughout.]

COUNTRY, adding his two cents: I do have to acknowledge where we can’t resist the swimmin’ hole experience every now and then between performances ... especially when it’s just an excuse to let things cool off and rest a couple hours while on the road!

GROOVE, ever the poet as much as the band’s drummer: Sometimes, I can’t help but seek,/What lies in the waters underneath! [Chuckles from our crew]

PETER POTAMUS, narrating: And such conversation as that certainly kept as much the Cats as ourselves going until close to sunrise, as if having myself no less than three bowls of the Cattanooga Cats’ own grits with shredded cheese and seasoned salt wasn’t a wonderful occasion enough ... [scene shifting to a dive shop in Pensacola Beach for some ideas] ... by mid-morning of the following day, a local dive shop pointed us in the direction of the scuttled remains of the battleship USS Massachusetts, commissioned in 1899, seeing active duty well until World War I, retired soon after ... and torpedoed in 1921 with an experimental rail-mounted gun while at anchor just offshore of Pensacola, eventually sinking in some 20 feet of water!

[The action shifts underwater close to the USS Massachusetts wreck site, this time with the entire crew diving in, captured as per usual by Squiddly Diddly in his underwater cameraman role ... and not long after, we find many of our crew diving in and around the Massachusetts’ scuttled remnants. We’ll let Peter continue the narration as we find many of the crew close to the hull....]

What’s particularly amazing is that this was one of the first steel-hull vessels in naval service, as opposed to the iron such which dominated from the Civil War on. For its time, something of an achievement, even if it were but one of three Oregon-class battleships from around the Spanish-American War.

BREEZLY BRUIN, narrating over the dive scene: It must have seemed interesting to get in through where the vessel was torpedoed when she was scuttled ... yet entering, you seem to feel a little weird to find this battleship was actually decommissioned beforehand....

MAGILLA GORILLA, also narrating over where he dives through the interior with flashlight in hand: Can you imagine this was actually a working naval battleship in its time, only now to become an interesting dive destination? Yet still, you can’t help but picture the feeling in the pit of your stomach when you get into a sunken vessel such as this ...

[The scene shifts to the outside of a divers’ camp close to Destin, where a modest little campfire can be discerned going against the twilight]

PETER POTAMUS: What further amazed us as a diving party was when no less than Squiddly Diddly brought our attention over supper to another offshore wreck in the area, this time more mysterious: As in that of the San Pablo, a fruit steamer which ran between Central America and the United States for the United Fruit Company’s “Great White Fleet” in the 1930′s until being sunk under mysterious circumstances around 1943. And there were rumours that the vessel was actually Soviet-flagged, but remember that it wasn’t called the “Great White Fleet” for nothing!

WALLY GATOR, lovingly trying for the answer: Was it because white looked rather cooll, don’t you know?

MILDEW WOLF, with added snark: Mary had a tramp steamer, its hull was white as snow--

HOKEY WOLF, perhaps close to the truth: The better to keep the produce cool in the Caribbean heat, I assume?

LIPPY THE LION: Reflecting the tropical sun’s heat, I understand.

PETER POTAMUS: I admit all were pretty close, but Lippy got it correct: United Fruit’s fleet of steamers hauling tropical fruits and vegetables were painted white to better reflect the sunlight of the Caribbean and the Central American regions where these vessels saw service, and keep the produce at ideal temperatures until being offloaded at port--New Orleans more often than not.

[Scene fades into the waters where the wreck of the San Pablo is discerned, as evident by its white hull; as per usual, Peter Potamus leads the intrepid divers over, across, and into parts of the wreck. In one scene, we can see Lippy the Lion “kicking it up” close to the railing near the hull, and in another, we can discern Breezly Bruin and Loopy DeLoop diving through the crows’ nest of the ship, close to the radio room. Loopy’s flashlight can be seen cutting through the murk to find the radio apparatus still intact, even allowing for some 25 years’ accumulation of sea grasses and coral.]

PETER POTAMUS, on a pontoon near the docks on Okaloosa Island: But those wrecks were just the beginning, a taster, if you will, for what lay ahead: Destin, which is but a few miles out on the mainland, takes pride in calling themselves “the World’s Luckiest Fishing Village.” And you can credit its closeness to the 100-Fathom Curve offshore, which, along with its being an interesting dive spot, also welcomes plenty of fish native to the Gulf of Mexico: Not just tuna, amberjack, yellowtail and marlin, but also the likes of vermilion, black, white and red snapper, spanish and king mackrel, grouper, wahoos (whatever they are) and triggerfish. Which can be pretty easy to catch, even with a harpoon gun!

[The scene fades to a near-shore scenario, pointing out safety procedures for harpoon guns, proper use being explained--and reminding all that such need to be pointed away from the body, and when so fishing, must remain underwater. A “pop quiz” on harpoon gun safety can also be discerned, as well as the inevitable pre-dive safety briefing.]

... and so our party sets out on some serious spearfishing adventures in such well-stocked waters as these such as attract the sportfishing crowd galore....

[The inevitable mass dive-in, taking care to ensure that the harpoon guns are sheathed, close to the body and at once ready ... followed by Peter Potamus “himself,” guided by Squiddly Diddly, guding all to some pretty interesting spearfishing waters. We can also discern some spearing action from some randomly-selected diver as he positions his harpoon gun into firing position, being steady about it all the while ... and fires the harpoon gun into some red snapper, taking pains to avoid excess blood loss which could attract sharks. Maybe another member of the troupe could also be seen in harpoon-gun action as well....

[Fade to ...]

PETER POTAMUS, over the grill at a “gulf-to-table” restaurant, with several others joining in: Particularly interesting is that several restaurants out this way allow fishermen, even those fond of spearing, to actually have their catch prepared and served. Myself, I was able to have some grilled grouper and flounder, though I admit the taste takes a little getting used to. Snapper, especially red snapper, can also get to be popular in these parts ... and can you imagine the Three Wolves spearing bluefin tuna, and actually having grilled tuna steaks as well?

At any rate ... we certainly hope your diving experiences are as interesting and as memorable as ours are. And in our next episode, which is somewhere among the springs of Florida ... we’ve got a surprise you won’t want to miss for the likes of yourselves ...

@joey-gatorman @warnerarchive

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dustedmagazine · 5 years

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Aki Onda & Paul Clipson — Make Visible the Ghosts (Audiomer)

vimeo

The relationship between film and music is usually hierarchical. Directors commission soundtracks; musicians project some footage onto a screen at the back of the stage; practitioners in either discipline study the pacing, messages, and working methods of their favorite auteurs in the other. Paul Clipson, a film-maker from the Bay area who died quite suddenly in 2018, forged a uniquely close working relationship with many musicians. He didn’t just contribute visions to their sounds; he got in the van with them, and changed what he was doing on the fly to respond to what they did. Whether touring with the band Tarentel, sharing stages with Grouper, or improvising with players that he didn’t know, he found ways to make his projections coexist with sounds that drew hitherto unnoticed details out of the music and completed his own images.

Aki Onda first met Clipson when they were headed to the same European festival, and their relationship grew first through a friendship founded upon shared personal affinities. Those affinities include some similarities in how they work and what they use. Both men layered found materials and exploited the textural qualities of analog recording and playback. Ultimately, they got around to performing together in 2012 at an event sponsored by Issue Project Room. Onda recalls the piece as a kind of a blind date; he made 70 minutes of music, and Clipson 70 minutes of film, which they then played together. It would be impossible to capture the experience of being in a room as sound and film are projected, so rather than simply synch up the original components on a DVD, they settled on an interpretive approach. Make Visible the Ghosts is modeled after Lost City, Onda’s poster and LP collaboration with Loren Connors and Alan Licht. Clipson composed a collage of film frames for the poster that combines images of light, sensate organs, and buildings that were part of the original performance. Onda fashioned the LP’s four tracks from excerpts of his original contribution and recordings made at the performance. They finished the album a few months before Clipson’s death, and now Audiomer has issued as a non-digital object, with the LP folded inside the poster and encased in a heavy, printed vellum sleeve.

Make Visible the Ghosts opens with the sounds of Clipson’s 16 mm. projector, which would seem like an emotional play if it hadn’t been done well before his demise. There’s no denying its posthumous effect, but the listener needn’t stop there; after all, this is the work of artists who refuse to be bound to simple, one-on-one assignments of meaning. The sound of the projector brings the filmic origin of the project into play without trying to reproduce it, effectively declaring that this record is an entity unto itself. It is gradually joined by long, electronic tones, whose purity contrasts with masking murk of unidentifiable found sounds. When the projector eases to the front of the mix, it propels the music like a dance beat. When it fades back, muffled voices and melted-down noise unfold at a slower pace. Onda also adds thick synthesizer chords at one juncture, forging through a swirl of outdoor sounds like mole pushing determinedly through earth. Neither sounds nor images try to explain themselves or each other; rather, they co-exist, adding further layers of related but unbounded information to the original piece’s twin streams.

Bill Meyer

#aki onda #paul clipson #make visible the ghosts #audiomer #bill meyer #albumreview #dusted magazine #audio collage

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iamsarsa · 6 years

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I managed to get the Murk Grouper my first try without snapping the line, and I’m stupidly proud of myself because I have absolutely 0 patience and 0 attention span but I managed to get this stupid dumb fish fairly quickly. just under 10 minutes.

and now I’m off to go fuck that stupid liege of the lake fish UP because FUCK that Tour but I AM GOING TO DO IT NOW.

#ffxv #final fantasy xv #i fucking hate fishing but its all ive been doing the past few days to level up #so i can go shove the stupid liege of the lake in gladios FACE #WHO'S PUNY NOW!!!!!!

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ohgodsnowwhat · 7 years

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His Name was Noct

Ok, I was thinking I would go somewhere with this, but it was more like walking from the living room to the kitchen. Still, it's something.

His name was Noct.

I know in all the books and documentaries he was King Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV; but to me, he was simply Noct.

I loved him. He was my best friend, and I loved him.

The official records (mostly dictated by Ignis) will tell about his lineage, his early years, his powers – but they won’t tell you how he loved cats and videogames and hated vegetables.

The records mention he fished for recreation, but they won’t tell you how he was practically dragged into the water by the Liege of the Lake, or talk about standing waist-deep in the water at Galdin Quay to retrieve a murk grouper.

The records talk about how he was pre-ordained to restore light to Eos. They don’t mention how he loved to nap.

They talk about how he tried to be a Prince of the People, but they won’t tell how he befriended a foreign-born commoner, became best friends and had adventures all over Eos. They won’t mention how he would hug random chocobos.

His name was Noct.

#drabble #pov #idle thoughts

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backseat-imagines · 7 years

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Fishing headcanon with the boys w/ their s/o? And Luna, if you can. Like where is there most preferred place to fish, what kind of bait, their favorite fish? (Sorry, first time requesting, but I really love fishing in game!)

The fishing in this game is downright addicting. Tbh the fishing in this plays a lot better than most games dedicated to solely fishing!

Fishing is highly important to Noctis. It’s not a deal breaking for him if you’re not into it. But I think he would likely go for someone who shared the love of the hobby.

Because you’ll find yourself sitting beside him, or back to back, as you both fish at the same time.

I hope you’re prepared to go at this all day. And I mean that literally. Because the only way you are prying the prince off the dock is with a crowbar.

That also leads into this point; Noctis is easily going to lose track of time and you will actually have to remind him what time it is.

Expect some friendly competition. By the end of the day who has the most wins. But who also has the heaviest one gets a bonus reward too.

He enjoys fishing at Vannoth Coast and Myrlwood Falls,favoring the Big Blaze Bahamut lure. Favorite fish would be the Murk Grouper and the glowing barrelfish.

Ignis doesn’t so much join in on the fishing fun. He’s not a big fisher himself, though if he wanted to he can without much problem. Just it’s not the thing for him. So you’re free to go off and fish whenever you want. He’ll just cook what you provide.

But if you absolutely must have him there with, he’ll join from time to time. Mostly giving you tips.

Again it’s not the most thrilling for him; but since he feels like he’s a little less obligated to pay such close attention since you’re not royalty, so he feels like he’s able to unwind a little better by bringing something to occupy himself with.

Aesthetically the Hot Breathers he prefers in looks. But the looks don’t matter and he’ll recommend what’s best for what you’re trying to catch. As long as it’s a fish he can cook, he’ll like it. But he does have a soft spot for the Nebula Salmon. And for fishing spots he does find over by River Wennath to be quite calming and beautiful.

With Gladio you are going to be the one stuck watching him fish. After having to sit back and watch the Prince fish so much, it’s Gladdy’s time to binge on fishing. In which I hope you have something to do in case you get bored because he is going to be there all morning.

But after he gets a lot of it out of his system he’s back to being willing to share the rod with you. He’d actually prefer taking turns rather than you both trying to fish at once.

When it’s your turn he ends up getting way more into it and focused on it all than you do. He ends up getting more into backseat fishing when it comes to you than he ever did Noctis. That’s just him probably getting more into it than it is him trying to tease.

Though he’s going to do that too. “That thing’s puny- here; let me show you how it’s done.” Don’t worry, you have a chance to bring that back on him when he catches something even smaller than what you did.

Gladio prefers to keep to the vesperpools, favoring the Stinker and Ranker Tonberry lures where he can go after the Spotted Devil and the Pink Jade Gars.

Prompto isn’t a big fisher himself. And it greatly depends on who’s fishing for how much he will enjoy it. But for you, his partner? You bet he’ll be right there beside you.

He’s more of a kind who will sit back and cheer you on. You got this! He knows you do! And he’s already waiting with his camera for when you reel it in!

However he still gets a bit bored, and easily too, if you keep it up for too long. But no worries, just let him play around on his phone, or let him wander a little with his camera and he’s good. Fish too late into the night and you might just have to carry his sleeping self to someplace to sleep.

For Lures he likes any of the of cactuar ones. They’re just so cute he can’t resist. Has a fondness for Sunrise Lucian Carp. And his favorite fishing spots are by Neeglyss pond and towerfront.

Lunafreya doesn’t often come out for fishing, it’s not something she would really do on her own. With a whole world of things going on, she’d feel it almost too selfish for her to try and find a lone spot where things feel free of everything for a change.

So during a day where her duties aren’t calling for her and where she’s feeling on the weak side of things, you can manage to convince her to come with you. She just wants to cherish what time she can with you, no matter the activity. As long as you’re happy, then so is she.

She watches and talks with you, sometimes telling you stories from long ago, just so the time isn’t filled with only silence.

Once in a blue moon you’ll be able to get her to fish too. Though she has little to no experience, so something like that you would have to help her with, or you both learn everything as you go if you’re inexperienced too.

As for favorite spots and fish; Luna’s favorite spots are Galdin Shoals and Forgotten Pool, and she has a liking for the glowing barrelfish. And as for the lures, she ends up adoring the carbuncle one.

#ffxv #Headcanon #Lunafreya #Noctis #Ignis #Gladiolus #Prompto

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thesunlounge · 3 years

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Reviews 375: Katherine de Rosset

Katherine de Rosset’s music is born of experiences of profound change, and of the courage it takes to dive into the unknown in search of self-actualization. As explained on her Bandcamp page, the artist moved from Portland to LA, only to have her living situation fall apart almost immediately. Against the tides of uncertainty, de Rosset turned to the guidance of tarot and the art of meditation–while also focusing more deeply on her musical work–and in a moment of inspiration, decided to move to Austin, TX…a place where the healing process could fully complete its cycle. Indeed, within the arms of this strange haven, de Rosset reconnected with the natural world and found solace in the ever-changing flow of energy that comprises existence, and as her soul flourished, so did her music, a result of which is The Tower. Self-released by de Rosset, the album is a mystifying musical adventure that simultaneously explores exotic landscapes of magical fantasy, and the vast zones of the inner self. And while listening, there is a sense that The Tower is meant not just as an artistic rendering of de Rosset’s own experiences of love, restoration, and growth, but also as a guide for others…as a set of sonic and poetic rituals which are intended to help the spirit shed that which is no longer needed, in order to create a “sacred ground for the journey of coming home to oneself.”

These themes of metamorphosis of the self, of the magical forces of nature, and of the “joy of impermanence” are all threaded into de Rosset’s lyrics throughout The Tower, and her vocals inhabit zones similar to those of White Poppy and Grouper in their alchemical merging of dream pop and acid folk. At her most powerful and abstract, de Rosset even calls to mind an early Christina Carter, especially in moments where voices swell to an ecstatic howl amidst layers of ghostly drone. As for the underlying instrumentation, almost everything is sourced from sparse rhythms and spiritual keyboard playing, which often aligns in vibe, if not totally in sound, with the work of Beverly Glenn-Copeland, as well as with more recent sign posts like Nailah Hunter and Katya Yonder. Diving deeper still, de Rosset concocts a bewitching sonic world wherein brushed and hushed jazz drums anchor fluttering strings and warming brass pads while baroque vocal incantations intersperse with spells of springtide romance. Toms pound in triumph beneath poetic affirmations and shades of shoegaze diva bliss, crystalline lutes and gemstone harpsichords play a sort of medieval folk psychedelia, submarine basslines waltz through fairytale forests, and reed organs from outerspace work through passages of funereal minimalism…all while beatific breaths of reverb and delay caress every single sound.

Katherine de Rosset - The Tower (Self Released, 2021) “Flowing Into Joy” introduces starlight drones and a machine drum shuffle overlaid by ecclesiastical keyboard magic. de Rosset sings softly while dancing gemstones move in counterpoint…the whole thing awash in a joyous energy, and evoking visages of satyrs and nymphs dancing around maypoles. Washed out keys and ethereal vocal hazes coalesce as de Rosset’s lyricisms dash romantically across the mix, with everything building towards a climactic chorus. Then, as the track reduces to plucked harp tones and squarewave synth sparkles, de Rosset locks into a mantric lullaby repetition of “Here I am / I want to show you”…like the voice of a mysterious spirit guiding the soul towards realms of joy. “The Star” follows with harpsichords and crystalline tones waltzing through a dew-soaked forest clearing, while splashes of metal shimmer in the distance. de Rosset swoons overhead, her voice subtly double tracked to add further hints of baroque folk mysticism, and her vocal poetics weaving together autobiography, spiritual guidance, and affirmations concerning the presence of a divine light within us all. Cascades of vibrating glass descend as jazz pop drums hold a skeletal structure, with rides tapping and snares smacking through a stereo field overflowing with panning drones and galactic swells of spectral harmony. “In the World and Yet Above” sees polysynthetic keys moving through baths of reverb and angelic voices guiding a splattered kick drum as it slowly structures into a beat. Radiant psych folk melodies are sourced from futuristic electronics, cymbal shadows move in the background, and ebowed guitars sing dolphin songs until everything seems to disperse, only for multi-tracked vocal mirages to emerge amidst feathery pad accents…as if strands of nacreous cotton are stretching out and surrounding de Rosset’s voice. The bass drum slowly builds back and tapped triangles give off sparkles of gold glitter while tom toms roll and hi-hats tick beneath layers of smoke–and over it all, a glorious call and response emerges between de Rosset’s singing and new age synthesizer themes colored in hues of silvery starlight.

A bongo-led downbeat anchors “Do You See What I Am?” and funereal organs call out amidst layers of shadowy haze as de Rosset’s voice lets loose darkly enchanting spells of reassurance, and of recognition of the light within the soul. The rest of the track builds around the singing, with billowing pads climbing ladders of starlight and whooshes of oceanic atmosphere moving all around. The drums work into a barely-there pulse, mysterious whispers pan back and forth, and the song’s structure holds together while ever-threatening to vaporize…all as bewitching vocals affirm the magic of the inner self, with de Rosset’s voice staying low before rushing towards an exploding sky, supported by bashing toms and slow cyclical synth arps. In “Her Body Made of Stars,” minimalist organ patterns are repurposed for an esoteric elegy, and gothic prog rock keyboards are overlaid by beating bongos and witchy vocalizations. de Rosset’s voice is close–yet hard to grasp–as it flits around the mix, and her breathy coos transition at times towards feathery falsetto. There is a touch of downer flower folk to the poetic phrases and mysterious melodies, and at some point, de Rosset sings: “there is magic in your blood / hear our breath as we are one / feel the magic in your blood / do you know how strong we are?”. Strummed zithers move over the doom-inflected jazz rhythms and as sonars ping and crystals glimmer, the minimalist keyboard patterns wash out completely, leaving behind an ocean of voice to float the spirit. Multiple layers circulate in round and reverb and delay patterns create counterpoint movements while synthesizers float through the stereo field, and as swells of solar brass seek the sky, they portend hope of a radiant dawn.

Side B begins with “The Eclipse” and its hopeful chord patterns and dancing pixie melodies. Wheezing organs sit above a sparse jazz beat and de Rosset sings through it all, weaving cosmic allegories and explorations of inner space that pull my mind to Will Cullen Hart and Circulatory System. Drums devolve to tapped cymbals as pads play majestic themes for fantasy kingdoms, with voice washing back and forth as it repeats “I’ll be there in your heart.” When the infectious jazz beats return, synths blur into clouds of cold comfort, while new age woodwinds sing ethereal songs through star oceans. Airy fills and pounding toms intersperse the rhythms and at some point, lyrics are abandoned as de Rosset drifts off into pure wordless wonderment…all while hopeful keyboard melodies ascend in support. The heart overflows with feelings of spiritual affirmation while the mind gazes upon scenes of impossible beauty, and as the track progresses, evocations of Beverly Glenn-Copeland begin shining through with pronounced strength. “91818” comes to life on reed organ drones and thunderclaps, while ghostly voices and bowed metals evoke early Charalambides. Pulses of smoldering static pan across the spectrum and a mesmerizing dreamscape emerges from bodies of orchestral murk, with blurred melodies dancing across the length of the keyboard, heavenly chord fogs hovering in place, and de Rosset whispering up above, her voice sweeping and reversing through arcs of resonant beauty. Sighing strings flutter in and out of view and seafloor crystals sparkle–though their glimmer is barely discernible through layers of washing water–and during one of de Rosset’s wondrous call and respond sections, a voice asks “Is this what you wanted for us?,” and in reply, another whipsers “I know I am ready,” Dazzling melodies slowly rise then recede before fully resolving and eventually, the song blurs into whooshing waves of darkened ambiance. Then comes multi-tracked fantasy dance supported by quivering staccato choirs and time-lag echo accumulations…as if Terry Riley had composed a baroque-tinged new age incantation.

Church organs pulse in “Sacred” as de Rosset floats overhead, with sparse tom hits panning side to side and sparkling seascape melodies meeting wavefronts of cosmic atmosphere. Plucked tones of tropical warmth bring a balearic touch while coral colorations swirl around the stereo field, and as we back down into a horizontal paradise–one replete with mermaid pads and idiophones made of seafloor crystal–de Rosset asks “what if my love is your love / is the truth then discovered?” only to answer, “no, not in words you can speak of / but in her radiant darkness.” The drums reduce to a brushed whisper against an ecstatic run of vocal poetics, and dreamy island melodies mix with new age diamond clusters. Toms beat anthemically as de Rosset moves into repetitions of “what you want will be yours now” and eventually, everything fades into a cloud of lullaby melodics and hopeful hazes. Droning reed organs return in closing track “Resonate”…the sound like an electrified harmonium wheezing from the center of the cosmos...before the vibe turns towards dream folk bewitchment. Treble tones pierce the mind, organs seek the sky, and billowing voices thread around the heart while sleepy-eyed serenades radiate dark sunset hues. A rush of celestial sound brings in multi-tracked whispers that cascade over themselves, with webs of lyrical wonderment threading together and resulting in an entrancing passage of dueling vocal flows…like a round, but not quite…wherein heavenly voices sing certain phrases in one ear, while a whispered falsetto speaks in the other. Joyous clouds of ambiance swell in support and radiant sunbeams refract as de Rosset says “I’ll follow deeper still,” and during a gorgeous coda, cloudform vortices and hymn-like keyboard patterns surround plucked strings while the body walks through a forest of restorative light…a place where waves of springtide soul energy transform existence into a paradise of everlasting optimism.

(images from my personal copy)

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