(05.04.07) I live on a noisy street. Listening to Milieu’s Of the Apple with my window open produces a gentle, lulling cacophony, which seems much richer than the street sounds alone. My street and Milieu’s CD sing together and I consider the earth under that street rolling slowly but certainly through the cosmos. And if you turn the bass up on the final fourteen minute hidden track, there’s a static rumble, which is not unlike a bowling ball rolling slowly but certainly along a hardwood floor. I find this sound profoundly soothing: the growling low, low, low note that fills out whatever nice major to minor chord progression I’m hearing. And the street outside rumbles and cries out profoundly on into the cold, fantastical night (no, I didn’t really just say that. I’m trying to give you a sense of the sort of thoughts this album calls up. I feel like the camera is slowly narrowing in on my window in a noir fantasy comic book movie. But this must be a reasonably articulate noir fantasy comic book movie to have this sort of soundtrack, I must say.)
Milieu’s Of the Apple is ambient, experimental, softly noisy at times, and utterly, stirringly, beautifully melodic at others. Milieu uses only guitar, organ, and cassette so we can definitely give him (Brian Grainger) props for being DIY and therefore indie/bohemian (oops, I said it. Sorry, dude.) and minimalist and therefore subtle and gentle to the ear. Also, occasionally some very literate melodies and harmonies take shape that could bump this into a more traditionally compositional genre like Post-Modern Classical.
Of the Apple would make for a fantastic mix-in for virtually any DJ set. The long, amorphous tones would harmonize well with most anything, and they could make your DJ set sound as profound as my street noise or Peter Gabriel’s T.L.T.O.C. soundtrack. But, on its own, Of the Apple is a little boring. I suppose you could say the same thing about, say, any Arvo Part album, but there is a drama that Part’s handful of notes&noises per hour evokes+imparts that just doesn’t happen on Of the Apple. I don’t really sense a beginning and an end. I mean, if this album wants to be a composition, then the artist must think out what he is trying to say, and then structure the album-composition around that message-narrative. Got it? If you just want to get stoned and put hella reverb on your organ sound and alternate between a major and minor chord for an hour, then more power to ya. That’s probably what I’m doing tonight. But I think that there is a story here that’s just not being told. I mean, Milieu, I can tell that you have a knack for sublimely beautiful tones, harmonies, melodies, but what are you trying to say? Maybe it’s too profound and I just don’t get it. I hope not. (And by the way, I mean this as playful banter, not as harsh criticism. I’ve listened to this album several times now and I’ve loved every gal-durn, cotton-pickin’ minute of it.) So, I’m eager to hear the next installment in the Milieu story. And I’m eager to get my DJ friends to mix this under their set for a cool emo-effect (I’m not saying that this album should be classified as Emo, just so we’re clear).
Of the Apple is out now on Second Sun. [Purchase]
