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You’ve probably heard Bryan Carrigan’s work many times in
the past but have been unaware that you were listening to something that he had
helped to produce or engineer. Bryan is one of those people who work behind the
scenes to make great music sound even better. With job titles such as music producer,
engineer, music editor, programming and sound design it might be understandable
that you didn’t know of Bryan’s involvement in the soundtrack of one of your
favorite movies or one of those television shows that you watch all the time
but nevertheless he was there. And while this is Bryan’s bread and butter so to
speak in terms of a day job he has also been working on music that is more
personal to him and for which he is totally responsible. And I mean that in the
most literal way since Bryan composed, performed, produced, recorded, mixed and
mastered the whole album. While Bryan is
very proud of what he has done in the studio for other musicians, composers and
artists I suspect that he is a lot more proud of the material that he is
putting out under his own name as an electronic musician.
To date Bryan has put out three albums under his own name
including Passing Lights (2011), Focus (2011) and his latest album called
Windows (2012). Since I have not listened to his first two releases I won’t be doing
any comparisons in this review but if the other two were anything like Windows
in terms of quality and musicianship then I’m sure you wouldn’t go wrong in
checking them out after you have had a chance to allow Windows to soak in. In
my own experience in listening to music it has been educational to start with
the latest release and then work my way back through the artist’s catalog
because it gives me a sense of how they have grown as a musician with each
subsequent release. After having spent some quality time with Windows I am
already looking forward to listening to Focus and then Passing Lights as well
to get a good sense of Bryan’s progression with his composing and performing.
Windows consists of 10 tracks that all work together very
well to create an atmosphere of peace that flows from composition to
composition. The music covers quite a bit of ground in terms of style but none
of it disrupts the flow that starts on track one and moves steadily through to
the very end. Most of the tracks on this album are right around 5 or 6 minutes
with a couple of songs that lean heavily towards the spacey end of electronic
music and those songs stretch out to 7 and 13 minutes. All of the songs are
more than long enough for Bryan to create soundscapes that draw the listener
into his sonic worlds and invites them to spend some time contemplating the
musical tapestry that he is weaving just for them. Even a track like Seventh
Stone which is a lot more reminiscent of world music and does have a beat to it
still falls into line with the overall feeling of the album which is one of
tranquility and relaxation. Bryan’s production skills are evident in that he
can harmonize these tracks into a thematic whole even though they are not all
cut from the same cloth.
In fact it is this very variety that tends to make me appreciate
the album that much more. As long as an artist is able to keep from jarring me
with sharp turns in song choices as the album progresses I am usually on board
with having the music that I am listening to offer me a landscape that is
varied and interesting. And that is exactly what Bryan has accomplished on
Windows. One of my personal favorites on the album is a song entitled Fields of
Poppy which starts off with the sound of Bali bells and of electronic bird
calls floating and echoing in the background. Bryan starts with that simple
palette and continues to add layer upon layer of instrumentation on top of it
all while maintaining the subtle yet rich base from which it began. You end up
with a composition that is wonderfully expressive and evokes in the listener
images of far off and exotic cultures. While I am sure that Bryan spent much
time creating this landscape of sound it seems to happen so effortlessly on the
album that many of us might forget the skill that is needed to create this
soundstage and deliver it to the listener.
It is difficult to pick anything as a favorite off of this
album because each song appeals to the listener in a different way but I
enjoyed the opening track called Into Light which launches the album with its
gentle synth washes that bring to mind the vastness of space with its ebb and
flow of energy stretching out across light years of distance and time. Another
favorite off of this album is a track called Masquerade. A sequencer driven
piece that is wonderfully programmed and delivers a pulsing, rhythmic feel
while never losing the sense of where the album is headed.
I’m sure that most ambient/new age/electronic music fans
will find something to like about this album and once you have absorbed the
particular songs that first attracted you to the project I would invite you to
listen to the other compositions on this album and I’m sure you will find
yourself agreeing that Windows’ diversity is not a distraction but the very
thing that makes this album something you will listen to again and again.
Windows is a sonic delight and I’m sure it will be in my listening rotation for
many months to come.
Definitely recommended by Ambient Visions.
Michael Foster, editor Ambient Visions
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