Justinian Intonations
Neuma, 2021
9/10
Listen to Justinian Intonations
A renaissance man, Philip Blackburn is a composer, educator, environment sound artist, filmmaker, writer, producer, public artist and designer, and with Justinian Intonations he manipulates sound, tonality and mood with a very atypical and artistic vision.
“Out Beyond” starts the listen with a conch shell chorus and voice, where Ryland Angel’s alluring pipes shine in the bare climate that displays text by Persian mystic Rumi.
The title track follows, and in 50 minutes recruits a very distinct sort of ambience, where a sonically challenging experience is ominous, chilling and gripping. Certainly hallucinatory, sometimes sci-fi and experimental in all the best ways, Blackburn’s background in the arts certainly lends itself to the innovative landscape.
Blackburn has been involved in some capacity in over 650 albums, and being aligned with the Grammy nominated Angel certainly helps make this a bright spot in his immense catalog of inventive music.
Travels well with: David Dunn- Verdant; Agnese Toniutti- Subtle Matters