Sojourns is very much an album of exploration. A portrait presented in the most inspired musical language. Much expression and diverse improvisation is the recipe here.
Reflective orchestral expressions
Sojourns (by Unius aka Jamie McMenamy) emerges as an expansive and tenderly developed work, featuring some joyous and reflective orchestral expressions. Beautiful uplifting and calming strings outline some of the most classic musical journeys—the strings on “A new Land” often driving towards a hint of Indian flavor—like a well-seasoned dish of the region.
“No Destination in Mind” offers up a quiet melancholy in the form of gentle cello tones leading a deeply emotional and spiritual swathe of sounds, guided by very gentle guitar. “A Fair Day” transports to a more earthy depth and builds to a brighter outcome. For a more electronic feel, look to “Current,” edging away from naked acoustic stringed instrumentation, yet still offering lots of atmospherics—akin to being lost in a snowstorm, with deep shades of color inching across the skies.
The titles of course, give the illusion of a nudge towards the natural world, and sometimes it is sinister as well as edging on the psychedelic—particularly with “Changing Tides.” There is of course exactly that—many swirling waters and depths across the whole album, from the gentle orchestral and delicate strings to the darker and murky oceans set against bright moonlit skies. Immersed in natural surrounding the sounds enable a more complex world to be stripped bare and enlightened with its infused magic. And to that end Sojourns is very much an album of exploration. A portrait presented in the most inspired musical language. Much expression and diverse improvisation is the recipe here.
Sojourns is available on Labile. [Bandcamp | Release page]
