It’s an evocative work with broad, expansive gestures, downshifts that resonate in the bellows of a planet, and soaring updrafts.
The subtractiveLAD must flow!
Stop what you’re doing and listen to this—especially the first track “Reaching Through” if you only have 21 minutes to spare. Also, if you know Denis Villeneuve, please tell him to listen too. And Hans Zimmer. Whatever the modern equivalent of speed-dial is, Denis & Hans should have subtractiveLAD on it. I’ve been stuck on this track for days. It’s an evocative work with broad, expansive gestures, downshifts that resonate in the bellows of a planet, and soaring updrafts. If you’re not playing this song while flying your Ornithopter over the sands of Arrakis, then you don’t understand. And it continues into the next track: “On Your Knees,” with its escalating dialogue between plucked entities and antagonistic deep flute-like stabs.
I spoke with subtractiveLAD (aka Vancouver-based Stephen Hummel) and he explained that these tracks were all live performance recordings. I won’t spoil the richness of this album with studio details—I find that can take away from the whole—but suffice it to say, Stephen knows his gear and its eliciting much oozing goodness with a modest set up. There is clear mastery going on here; and I for one would love to see some live performance videos—even if there’s not much to see—just to be in the presence of a live creation. There are oodles of other goodies throughout the rest of the album, and I want to leave some for you to discover. This whole thing certainly bears repeating, and it’s now in constant rotation on my home setup. The subtractiveLAD must flow!
Wreckage is available on Bandcamp.
