While the Offthesky quietly paints him a vast universe, Man Watching the Stars populates it with planets, meteor showers and asteroids slowly tumbling end over end.
[Release page] Bring two talented ambient artists together and the results are often very pleasant indeed, but combining the ambient sensibility and a more temperamental instrument with a more insistent presence can be genial. Jason Corder and violinist Brendan Paxton complement one another beautifully by contrasting starkly.
While the Offthesky quietly paints him a vast universe, Man Watching the Stars populates it with planets, meteor showers and asteroids slowly tumbling end over end. Distant pinpoint stars are pizzicatoed into being and grand galaxies arch across a canvas that shifts in muted tones of green-blue viridian. “Star-Crossed Through Empty Thick” sounds like the last gasp of autumn while “Rime of the Bloodsands Pyre” is the exaltation of taking it all in conveyed with almost symphonic majesty. Their long, drawn-out farewell is a moving and poignant finale.
While the track titles are a bit marshy borderland-poet precious and romantic, the music is truly out of this world. The subtle Corder provides Paxton with a huge echo chamber within which to resonate, while opening up the ears to unheard sounds with each new listen.
Afar, Farewell is available on Rural Colours. [Release page]
