Diminished Composition brings sad-happy scenes painted in warm tones, strokes of drone deftly drawn.
A new recording from Willamette, Diminished Composition, has just been released by Scissor Tail. The WA-based ambient post-classical project—nicely referred to as ‘chamber drone caught in perpetually Lynchian state of romantic, dream-fog rapture’ (Spin)—is formed of Joseph Yonker and brothers Davin and Kevin Chong. Ambient trainspotters will recall the brothers Chong for Drawn (2007), a lovely low-light ambient classic under the alias Northern on the admirable Infraction. Merged into Willamette several years on, their debut Echo Park (2011) was curated by Infraction too, with Always in Postscript, a score for Charles Lim Yi Yong’s All the Lines Flow Out, coming courtesy of Own.
Diminished Composition brings sad-happy scenes painted in warm tones, strokes of drone deftly drawn, ‘like Stars of the Lid’s triple LPs neatly condensed into nine four-minute etudes immaculately presented.’ (PSI Lab). It unfolds with expansive chords and resonant strings under analog tape grain, further focused and refined, with all the melancholic ellipticism that has distinguished Willamette among contemporary ambient post-classicists.
Diminished Composition is available on Scissor Tail. [Editions | Press]
