Modal Operandi is a fulfilling listen. Tracks bear fruit through melodic complexity and the inclusion of quiet, often minute details that can be more and more readily detected on repeat listens.
A fulfilling listen
Ian Boddy’s Modal Operandi, released on Quiet Details, is a thought-provoking album that seems at first simple. Beneath this apparent sonic simplicity can be found a great deal of detail, much of it quite interesting. “Mixolydian” opens with synthetic wind sounds, establishing an eerie atmosphere. Layers of light noise, like fog drifts, settle in and evaporate. As the piece unfolds, a melody appears. The melody is composed of a wandering series of tones evocative of sadness and loss.
In “Ionian,” multiple interacting melodies can be heard moving about abstractly. The track has aspects that are mindful of generative, or system-based, music. A steady tone of noble sadness calls to mind, however, the hand and ears of a human composer. Of note are the brass horn elements, and the looped and fading wind sound at the track’s end.
Airy, high-pitched buzzing sounds introduce “Aeolian.” The melody is played using retro-sounding FM-pads and plastic delay effects. The melody sounds fingered rather than programmed—it roams about in an improvisatory fashion. A second melody joins the initial sequence. Behind the melodies is a field recording of airy sounds such as birdsong. “Aeolian” retains the noble mood of “Ionian,” but sounds lighter, and less gloomy.
“Lydian” is a great track. It has a mysterious vibe, resembling the soundtrack to a detective film. A melody meanders through the track. It has a synthetic feel to it, and is altered by morphing, fluid delay effects. These deltas result in the tones sounding like they are echoing, or at other times are vibrating or buzzing. A solid synthetic bassline punctuates the track’s rhythm. As a whole, “Lydian” calls to mind a dark, creeping vine as seen on a patio at night.
Modal Operandi is a fulfilling listen. Tracks bear fruit through melodic complexity and the inclusion of quiet, often minute details that can be more and more readily detected on repeat listens. Possibly melodies here represent conversations, and may be interpreted, together with the album as a whole, as an abstract series of sonic explorations that invite discussion and dialogue.
Modal Operandi is available on Quiet Details. [Bandcamp]
