REVIEW OF BREATHE DEEP
by Ryan Pierson
On the day the world was supposed to end (December 21st 2012), local Louisville artist, Phourist, released his appropriately named album "Breathe Deep," which would possibly be more appropriately named "Soundtracks for the Birth of Morning" (but I suppose that would be giving too much away) (if so, sorry Phourist). The name "Breathe Deep" fits the music so very well, in the sense that it is incredibly meditative (explosive with a fierce anger only on "Alerted to the Presence"). However, the entire album fits what the waking dream of sunrise would sound like in most imaginable ways.
Starting out with Movement 1 "The Unsung Hero," one cannot help but picture the empty, lifeless streets at 4:30 in the morning when the slow, lonely piano chords start this morning scene off. They playfully step about the puddles on the road from the rain that passed, and then disappear into the ethereal like some living mirage... reappear, and disappear. Then the sky has that streak of light and color which tears a line into the ever-reaching darkness. The hole slowly devours the night, and the trees move in the breeze... waking up. The lights from the businesses blink on, and the chaperoning orange-street lights shut off. The once lifeless street is now populated with the spare jogger and morning dog-walker. The once black sky, has slowly and quietly exploded into a vision of a pale tombstone-blue. And thus, the beginning, the subtle-yet-explosive journey that commences the day has begun. Movement 1-concluded. Now onto Movement 2.
I will confess, that I, personally, have explored the scenery of the first of two parts of Movement 2 "You Can Walk Until Your Legs Are Numb..." It was a long time ago, back in 2008, if I recall correctly. I have no idea how he knew. About the sober-sleep deprived 6AM at Louisville's Great Lawn at Waterfront Park. That cold blue draped over the entire area. The Ohio river appearing filthy, as always, but this time with character. Marching bravely on down the line via guitar pickings. The indecisive birds of morn' flying left, then flying right, and then flying left again. Tired lungs smoking cigarette after cigarette. And there's this moment of overwhelming thoughtlessness you experience, the land on the outside is atmosphere of your mind; and the atmosphere is just right. Up until the minute-second hands of this track reach 1:51 and your confused delirium sets in and your feel the sporadic syntax bounce around the hollowed-out terrain behind those sleepless eyes. And you, like that river mentioned before, must bravely march home. Get up, march those lazy bones onward.
Unlike the first part of movement 2, I haven't yet had the pleasure of experiencing the story of part 2 in my life. However, if I HAD, I reckon it would be something like this; You stumble across some mysterious gypsy-band playing in some obscure location. Their music lures you closer, closer, and closer yet. Just when you come right upon them, two more jump out from the bushes and chase you menacingly throughout the empty terrain...with swords...of soft foam. You run with urgency, out of response to being chased, but the dread of danger isn't there. Running, running... and then sweet glory when you turn a sharp left and find a foam sword of your own lying on some bench at 0:42, and you spin back around and innocently swash-buckle your chasers. The sword folds upon itself as you pretend to lodge it in their heart. The gypsy dramatically acts out his own death, and laughs and applauds you before bidding you adieu. And then, I'd have to say, the rest of the song sounds contemplative over the humor, the delight, and absolute confusion over the events that just occurred. Movement 2 concluded. Onto Movement 3.
If "Breathe Deep" were a story, and movements one and two are the sleep-deprived explorations of sunrise, then movement three would have to be the slipping away from the world we inhabit into the imagination that is movement four (which we'll address shortly). Movement three beautifully contrasts the end of movement two with it's active piano layers skipping about, with a sudden minimal emptiness. In this chapter of the wordless story, the main character is absent. Movement 3.1 is the ultimate testament to the intent of "Breathe Deep" which is: "Start at track one, press play, and enjoy the ride." "Light Pulses at Sea" has the feel of a buoy amidst the ocean: floating up and sinking down with the motion of the tide. There's nothing more to this piece. Taken apart from the album: this track is nothing; but when embedded in the journey of "Breathe Deep," this track is everything. This track in it's overwhelming simplicity and brave vacancy is a brilliant and absolutely necessary stepping stone to the rest of the sounds to pour from this release. Which brings us to the second part of movement three "The Shimmery Absence of Time". While "Breathe Deep" feels like a wandering away from the more traditional/accessible model of music-making which, seemingly, was the foundation of Phourist's earlier 2012 release "Terrestrial Daydream", "The Shimmery Absence of Time" is surely furthest wandering away from that foundation. He tosses out the piano excursions, the strumming guitars, the melodies, the hooks and creates a piece of pure spacey atmosphere. The culmination of tones slipping in and out of the piece, taking you to a pleasant nowhere. Movement three leads you to the lonely abyss of the middle of the ocean in part one, and then part two lifts you up away from the company of the ocean into the sky, and further away to the emptiness of space. Being nowhere as nothing has never before been so rewarding.
With movement four, you end up at some futuristic city within a barren desert on mars (this scene shot in Technicolor) with ringy synths bringing you an old sci-fi computer nostalgia. The song picks up, and leads you quickly through this neon-glowing metropolis into the heart of the city where the scientists are working away in their labs around this collection of metal surrounded by computers, soon to be The Android, the one last hope for this city. 2:05-2:48 is the assembly, but at 2:49 the checking is finished, and it's time to get this baby running. The lights slowly glow on. What is the purpose of The Android? [Movement 4.2 "Alerted to the Presence"] To fuck shit up! This scene starts out mid-flight in a Technicolor dream amongst a blitz of bullets, rockets, and shooting beams of laser. The Android fights off the opposition with a suspenseful victory throughout the entire song. Destroying a few more enemy ships, but hiding away to run it's self-repair systems in the quieting interludes to the force of the piece ("Beep"). Then comes the closing of this sci-fi dream 4.3 "First Sunrise." The android marching back to the city with the vibrant yellow sun pouring down from the purple skies across the land of red tightly populated with the wreckage of so much enemy metal.
With the closing piece of "Breathe Deep" (Movement Five: "Remember") it appears that this sci-fi story was just a vivid daydream of the walker from the beginning, who now finally has returned home. The piece ends with a feeling very similar to how "Breath Deep" began: a few lonely piano lines, but this time is becoming consumed by the growing roar of sleep. The playful emotion of the main character is still there. Finding delight in this delirium, reflecting on all the things he's experienced through the course of this album (both real and imagined), and then climbs into bed. The character, the room, everything eventually fades away into this white roar that has been growing. Once all noticeable traces of the world is gone. Sleep. Story's done.
This, in my opinion, is the only way that Phourist's "Breathe Deep" album can be reviewed. From the moment the album begins to the moment it ends you never really get the feeling that you're listening to "music", the tracks don't feel like "songs". The album provides you with a different experience than your traditional musical endeavor. Like an exploration of an unfamiliar terrain. Therefore the only ranking that is appropriate for this album is "apple-tree out of five stars."
(The album is available for purchase/free stream at: http://phourist.bandcamp.com/album/breathe-deep "Terrestrial Daydream" available at: http://phourist.bandcamp.com/album/terrestrial-daydream )
by Ryan Pierson
On the day the world was supposed to end (December 21st 2012), local Louisville artist, Phourist, released his appropriately named album "Breathe Deep," which would possibly be more appropriately named "Soundtracks for the Birth of Morning" (but I suppose that would be giving too much away) (if so, sorry Phourist). The name "Breathe Deep" fits the music so very well, in the sense that it is incredibly meditative (explosive with a fierce anger only on "Alerted to the Presence"). However, the entire album fits what the waking dream of sunrise would sound like in most imaginable ways.
Starting out with Movement 1 "The Unsung Hero," one cannot help but picture the empty, lifeless streets at 4:30 in the morning when the slow, lonely piano chords start this morning scene off. They playfully step about the puddles on the road from the rain that passed, and then disappear into the ethereal like some living mirage... reappear, and disappear. Then the sky has that streak of light and color which tears a line into the ever-reaching darkness. The hole slowly devours the night, and the trees move in the breeze... waking up. The lights from the businesses blink on, and the chaperoning orange-street lights shut off. The once lifeless street is now populated with the spare jogger and morning dog-walker. The once black sky, has slowly and quietly exploded into a vision of a pale tombstone-blue. And thus, the beginning, the subtle-yet-explosive journey that commences the day has begun. Movement 1-concluded. Now onto Movement 2.
I will confess, that I, personally, have explored the scenery of the first of two parts of Movement 2 "You Can Walk Until Your Legs Are Numb..." It was a long time ago, back in 2008, if I recall correctly. I have no idea how he knew. About the sober-sleep deprived 6AM at Louisville's Great Lawn at Waterfront Park. That cold blue draped over the entire area. The Ohio river appearing filthy, as always, but this time with character. Marching bravely on down the line via guitar pickings. The indecisive birds of morn' flying left, then flying right, and then flying left again. Tired lungs smoking cigarette after cigarette. And there's this moment of overwhelming thoughtlessness you experience, the land on the outside is atmosphere of your mind; and the atmosphere is just right. Up until the minute-second hands of this track reach 1:51 and your confused delirium sets in and your feel the sporadic syntax bounce around the hollowed-out terrain behind those sleepless eyes. And you, like that river mentioned before, must bravely march home. Get up, march those lazy bones onward.
Unlike the first part of movement 2, I haven't yet had the pleasure of experiencing the story of part 2 in my life. However, if I HAD, I reckon it would be something like this; You stumble across some mysterious gypsy-band playing in some obscure location. Their music lures you closer, closer, and closer yet. Just when you come right upon them, two more jump out from the bushes and chase you menacingly throughout the empty terrain...with swords...of soft foam. You run with urgency, out of response to being chased, but the dread of danger isn't there. Running, running... and then sweet glory when you turn a sharp left and find a foam sword of your own lying on some bench at 0:42, and you spin back around and innocently swash-buckle your chasers. The sword folds upon itself as you pretend to lodge it in their heart. The gypsy dramatically acts out his own death, and laughs and applauds you before bidding you adieu. And then, I'd have to say, the rest of the song sounds contemplative over the humor, the delight, and absolute confusion over the events that just occurred. Movement 2 concluded. Onto Movement 3.
If "Breathe Deep" were a story, and movements one and two are the sleep-deprived explorations of sunrise, then movement three would have to be the slipping away from the world we inhabit into the imagination that is movement four (which we'll address shortly). Movement three beautifully contrasts the end of movement two with it's active piano layers skipping about, with a sudden minimal emptiness. In this chapter of the wordless story, the main character is absent. Movement 3.1 is the ultimate testament to the intent of "Breathe Deep" which is: "Start at track one, press play, and enjoy the ride." "Light Pulses at Sea" has the feel of a buoy amidst the ocean: floating up and sinking down with the motion of the tide. There's nothing more to this piece. Taken apart from the album: this track is nothing; but when embedded in the journey of "Breathe Deep," this track is everything. This track in it's overwhelming simplicity and brave vacancy is a brilliant and absolutely necessary stepping stone to the rest of the sounds to pour from this release. Which brings us to the second part of movement three "The Shimmery Absence of Time". While "Breathe Deep" feels like a wandering away from the more traditional/accessible model of music-making which, seemingly, was the foundation of Phourist's earlier 2012 release "Terrestrial Daydream", "The Shimmery Absence of Time" is surely furthest wandering away from that foundation. He tosses out the piano excursions, the strumming guitars, the melodies, the hooks and creates a piece of pure spacey atmosphere. The culmination of tones slipping in and out of the piece, taking you to a pleasant nowhere. Movement three leads you to the lonely abyss of the middle of the ocean in part one, and then part two lifts you up away from the company of the ocean into the sky, and further away to the emptiness of space. Being nowhere as nothing has never before been so rewarding.
With movement four, you end up at some futuristic city within a barren desert on mars (this scene shot in Technicolor) with ringy synths bringing you an old sci-fi computer nostalgia. The song picks up, and leads you quickly through this neon-glowing metropolis into the heart of the city where the scientists are working away in their labs around this collection of metal surrounded by computers, soon to be The Android, the one last hope for this city. 2:05-2:48 is the assembly, but at 2:49 the checking is finished, and it's time to get this baby running. The lights slowly glow on. What is the purpose of The Android? [Movement 4.2 "Alerted to the Presence"] To fuck shit up! This scene starts out mid-flight in a Technicolor dream amongst a blitz of bullets, rockets, and shooting beams of laser. The Android fights off the opposition with a suspenseful victory throughout the entire song. Destroying a few more enemy ships, but hiding away to run it's self-repair systems in the quieting interludes to the force of the piece ("Beep"). Then comes the closing of this sci-fi dream 4.3 "First Sunrise." The android marching back to the city with the vibrant yellow sun pouring down from the purple skies across the land of red tightly populated with the wreckage of so much enemy metal.
With the closing piece of "Breathe Deep" (Movement Five: "Remember") it appears that this sci-fi story was just a vivid daydream of the walker from the beginning, who now finally has returned home. The piece ends with a feeling very similar to how "Breath Deep" began: a few lonely piano lines, but this time is becoming consumed by the growing roar of sleep. The playful emotion of the main character is still there. Finding delight in this delirium, reflecting on all the things he's experienced through the course of this album (both real and imagined), and then climbs into bed. The character, the room, everything eventually fades away into this white roar that has been growing. Once all noticeable traces of the world is gone. Sleep. Story's done.
This, in my opinion, is the only way that Phourist's "Breathe Deep" album can be reviewed. From the moment the album begins to the moment it ends you never really get the feeling that you're listening to "music", the tracks don't feel like "songs". The album provides you with a different experience than your traditional musical endeavor. Like an exploration of an unfamiliar terrain. Therefore the only ranking that is appropriate for this album is "apple-tree out of five stars."
(The album is available for purchase/free stream at: http://phourist.bandcamp.com/album/breathe-deep "Terrestrial Daydream" available at: http://phourist.bandcamp.com/album/terrestrial-daydream )
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