Alexandre Navarro / Caya :: Phases / Dream Vestibuli (Handstitched*)

Two engaging and alternative perspectives, focused on their diverse range of sound and melodic fusions. Navarro’s Phases & Caya’s Dream Vestibuli is a contrasting range of electronic-acoustic and organic sounds.

Layers of episodic collages

Two engaging and alternative perspectives, focused on their diverse range of sound and melodic fusions. Navarro’s Phases & Caya’s Dream Vestibuli is a contrasting range of electronic-acoustic and organic sounds. The maddeningly morphing musical feeling includes dark electronic moods, guitar strings, layers of episodic collages that seem to somehow repeat slowly to move on a loping slant. Change relentlessly happens throughout each of these two sets of tracks.

Alexandre Navarro :: Phases

Nimbly assembling textural melodic elements from guitars and keyboards, the adventure begins with an exploration of “Phainomenon” (2:54), I hear the sounds that open new doors, lingering, building and then going in a new direction, repeating, opening new doors, lingering, building. The loopscape resolves into some water sounds from the ocean shore.

Some distances can bring melancholic introspection as well as anticipation, “Distancias” (3:06) has a subtle beat that brings more layering, changing, and returning themes. With so many little clues to push around into possible interpretations, “Océanides” (3:32) tells me that someone, just a voice, is there, fragments of meaning arranged in a melodically developing chaos, are there ghosts in the ocean?

“Anima dolce” (4:07) has some weaving of sounds played forward and reverse, transforming sweet disorder into something nourishing and interesting. Overall simply a quiet exploration discovering explosive edges and then quieting off a bit, of all the tracks this sounds to me like the one with the boldest ambient improvisation, “Primitive class” (2:26) breaks loose with lots of textures and mixed density patterns.

Caya :: Dream Vestibuli

Bringing a sensibility of emotive, tape-infused and hauntingly natural soundscapes, Caya opens the way into this Dream Vestibuli. The first track is “Near Beginning” (3:44), feel the mist and frost sparkle in the contrasting darkness until change happens warm metal hums and buzzes in the contrasting forms. “Garden Solumn” (2:28) acts slowly slowly as it keeps on opening and coasting into a slower place. The changes bring rolling textures, “Crescent Body” (3:11) ghostly alternating patterns.

I hear pairs and outliers, “Light Division” (2:30) the changes take away the pattern until the new pattern emerges. “Golden Dream” (3:48) treasure in light glitchy glory running-up-the-stairs layers come out. “Open Heart, Porous Blue” (3:16) sandy and dark, eventually something starts pumping and throbbing, “The Fool” (2:45) repeating until the change resolves, repeating some more and easing along.

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The release is available in a limited edition of 50, hand-numbered copies on both CD and tape—handmade gatefold collage covers for the CD and printed J-cards for the pro-dubbed tape.

Phases / Dream Vestibuli is available on Handstitched*. [Bandcamp]