Oblivion
I recommend keeping volume levels a little lower than normal, as some of the sounds can cause distortion at high volume. Also, decent audio gear is a must, as there are a lot of very deep sounds—some of the harmonics in "Singularity" run as low as 2-3 Hz (which is infrasonic). Get comfortable—it's a nice long, slow ride. Also, click the album cover to see the CD release. |
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Track 1: First Light After the Universe came into being, it was totally dark for hundreds of millions of years, until matter finally began to coalesce and form stars; and with the birth of stars came the birth of light. What a sight that must have been! Gradually, over the course of billions more years, the stars formed galaxies, and within the galaxies came planets, life, and other wonders. The Universe has become breathtakingly beautiful! To celebrate this beauty, I've created a soundscape in three acts: it begins very simply, with delicate structures; then, after passing through a prolonged period of disorder, it finally culminates in glorious splendor. Track 2: Power of Ten Humans are simply incapable of grasping the true enormity of the Universe; indeed, our tiny planet—an infinitesimal speck in the vastness of space—seems huge to us. Likewise, time is immeasurable; in the eyes of the Universe, our lives are so brief as to be non-existent. One way to help get a sense of the infinite—even if only a little—is to think about an exponential progression. Consider having a single penny: now, double it every day (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and so on); in a month, you'll be a millionaire. What would you be in a year? The same principle can be applied to speed as well as distance, so one can imagine constantly accelerating ever faster across space, or progressing ever faster through time... or both. (Our excessively litigious society makes it necessary for me to post the following disclaimer: Contained within this track is a form of Shepard tone, which is known to cause an uneasy sensation for some people on occasion. This is not deliberate on my part, so I cannot be held responsible for any adverse side-effects.) Track 3: Gravity Well Gravity is a powerful force, so powerful it can bend and even end light. There's another similarly potent force: the will of humankind, which can bend and even end life. My goal with this track was to convey through sound these interacting forces. A challenging work to create as well as to hear, "Gravity Well" is a slow, thoughtful blend of just four sounds, albeit complex ones: a deep, dissonant rumble, representing gravity; an undulating mix of pleasing chords, representing light; a pattern of delicate, fleeting bell-like tones, representing life; and countless distant voices, representing humankind. Track 4: Oblivion "Oblivion" paints a sonic portrait of a trip we all take on occasion, a trip into the unknown. As so for all of the tracks on this album, it's most effective to listen with closed eyes; let the sound conjure whatever images may pass through your mind. Follow the footsteps: if you allow them to, they will lead you to strange, faraway places. Track 5: Singularity "Singularity" is the end of the journey. But while it's not a destination we may consciously seek, it's a point to which we are all destined to arrive—it is inevitable, for everyone and everything. It's also something we cannot know; we can only speculate about it. Thus it would be impossible to realize a soundscape that truly represents it; all one can do is imagine how destiny might sound. Ever-changing in very slow, very subtle ways, this abstract painting for the ears employs various forms of Brownian noise to create a vague, underlying sense of uncertainty or apprehension.
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