Visible Cloaks Unveil 'Paradessence': A Journey Through Digital and Acoustic Realms
Portland's ambient duo Visible Cloaks has unveiled their latest album, 'Paradessence,' a profound exploration of the intricate relationship between virtual and organic sounds. This new release builds upon the foundations laid by their critically acclaimed 'Reassemblage' and subsequent works, offering listeners a deeply immersive and contemplative experience. The album serves as a sonic reflection on the contemporary human condition, navigating the complexities of a world increasingly shaped by technology and global events. Through meticulous sound design and a seamless blend of acoustic and digital elements, Visible Cloaks invites audiences to a meditative journey that challenges perceptions of reality and connection.
The journey of Visible Cloaks, comprising Spencer Doran and Ryan Carlile, has always been characterized by a thoughtful engagement with sound and its capacity to evoke specific states of mind. Their 2017 album 'Reassemblage' emerged during a period of significant global shifts, offering a beacon of serenity amidst burgeoning anxieties about a technological future and its societal implications. Drawing inspiration from Japanese environmental music, known as kankyō ongaku, the duo crafted a soundscape that, while hinting at the digital critiques found in vaporwave, ultimately sought a deeper connection to the present moment rather than indulging in nostalgia. This earlier work hinted at a desire for peace that, in retrospect, seemed to anticipate the tumultuous years to come, marked by pandemics and increasing social discord.
Following 'Reassemblage,' Visible Cloaks continued to refine their unique blend of electro-acoustic sounds with the mini-album 'Lex' and a significant collaboration titled 'serenitatem' with Japanese ambient artists Yoshio Ojima and Satsuki Shibano. These projects allowed the duo to expand their technical and conceptual boundaries, leading directly to the creation of 'Paradessence.' The new album showcases a heightened interest in the interplay between the virtual and the organic, meticulously crafting digital syntheses of stringed instruments and human voices. While not overtly darker than its predecessor, 'Paradessence' carries a palpable sense of unease, with fragmented melodies and sudden bursts of noise coalescing and dissolving, mirroring the fractured reality of our modern existence. It’s an album that doesn’t merely envision a new world, but rather reacts to the current one, highlighting humanity's growing reliance on captivating, yet often distracting, technology.
'Paradessence' distinguishes itself from 'Reassemblage' by presenting itself as a continuous, unfolding composition rather than a collection of discrete tracks. This design encourages listeners to engage with the album in its entirety, allowing its intricate layers to bloom gradually, much like a peony unfurling its petals. Moments within the album may at times feel disjointed, appearing as if triggered by unseen electrical impulses, yet Doran and Carlile skillfully interweave periods of silence that act as vital connective tissue. These pauses serve to re-center the listener, creating an effect akin to observing neural pathways firing within the brain, each silence a gentle jolt back to the present moment. Inspired by Brian Eno's philosophy of ambient music being simultaneously ignorable and engaging, these silences prompt self-reflection, allowing us to recalibrate from the constant background hum of daily life and pervasive digital distractions.
The album is rich with moments of exquisite sound design, from the echoing delays in 'Skylight' that evoke the rhythmic implosion of factory machinery, to the opening timbres of 'Telescoping' which masterfully blend the sounds of a Mellotron, a flute, and a choir. These sonic details are designed to captivate attention, yet the album also allows for a wandering mind, transforming its digital intricacies into a vibrant, resonant hum. It is often the subtle, unexpected shifts that demand renewed focus, highlighting the complexity of the arrangements. For instance, in 'Disque,' off-sync keyboards create a disorienting sensation, only for a luminous cascade of triangle-wave notes to emerge from a period of tranquility, serving as radiant markers on a challenging sonic journey.
In 'Slippage,' which revisits the tonal palette of the opening track 'Apsis,' metallic textures intricately spread across a foundation of humming tones, progressively building tension before dissolving into a sustained drone of string instruments. This drone then gracefully transforms into a melody reminiscent of a sea shanty, symbolizing a moment of calm and stability after navigating turbulent waters. Each piece in the album appears to be constructed around these striking, attention-grabbing instances, prompting speculation about Doran and Carlile’s creative process—perhaps discovering an inspiring sound or melody and then deconstructing it to understand its essence. Much like remembering specific, vivid details from a long walk, rather than the entire journey, 'Paradessence' is composed of these memorable sonic snapshots.
Towards the conclusion of 'Paradessence,' the track 'Steel' offers the closest approximation to a conventional song structure. Here, a glistening zither dances around the rhythmic pulse of a handpan drum. For nearly two minutes, layers are meticulously added, intensifying the build-up until the composition reaches a critical point and buckles under its own weight. Bursts of noise traverse the stereo field, while digital wind instruments interlace with a soft, ethereal drone. The duo appears to hint at an impending collapse, reflecting the fragility of current systems. Yet, even amidst the debris, a sense of potential and nascent beauty emerges. It’s a vision of simplicity rising from complexity, underscoring the idea that every ending merely signifies a new beginning.