Oblique
New Focus, 2022
9/10
The guitarist and composer Aaron Myers-Brooks is quite versed in microtonal sounds, and across these very distinct pieces he manipulates pitch with plenty of polyrhythmic ideas.
“The 11th and 6th Caves” leads the listen with both calm and distorted guitar acrobatics that touches on classic rock riffage and soothing bouts, and “Prelude To Entity” follows with digital piano and electric guitar meeting at a place of harmonic gestures and solo friendly moments.
In the middle, “Energy Shapes No. 3” is a trio for a single performer, where electric guitar, digital processing and an FM synthesizer get a bit spacey but also don’t shy away from heavy choruses and fragmented exploration, while “Sonata for Solo 17-Tone Guitar” unfolds across 3 movements of rhythmic, angular and haunting guitar prowess.
The final track, “Eight HighC Miniatures”, provides ‘alien environments to briefly inhabit’, and it’s full of synthesized sound that’s cinematic, sonically mysterious and even otherworldly.
A very avant-garde experience that retains bits from his metal bands AutoReplicant and Monochromatic Residua and folk duo Familiar, this is an ultra-creative and eclectic peek into the mind of an artist with a truly iconoclastic vision.
Travels well with: Greg Stuart- Subtractions; Departure Duo- Immensity Of