Hey! What better way to
tide us over during the mini-pocalypse than a lovely slice of drift that is
itself a triumvirate composed of our favorite music-producing organisms? Crash Symbols, Endurance, and PJS all rank up
at the top of our charts, so the idea of them combining forces is almost
indescribable in its goodness. We’re as
happy as can be, all things considered.
Here we have a reel of ferrous material imbued on either
side with the cosmic sounds of Canada. Well,
technically Endurance is currently located in Japan, but Josh Stefane is Canuck
diaspora, so we’re widening the lasso over here in our geographic
categorization. On the A side is a pair
of his compositions, while the flip side is owned by PJS, which is Jordan
Christoff and Patrick Dique.
The Endurance tracks capture two unique modes of Stefane’s
soundcraft. “Outside” launches with a
string of reverberating chimes that ring out with a sense of delicate
beauty. The sounds blend into a gentle,
shimmering mist that just begs to be waded through. Dreamworld, here we come! The opposite effect is at play on “Waystation”. In this piece, a darkness overtakes us. We’re riding in a lonely subway car at
midnight. Our skin crawls and the hair
on our arms stands on end. An uneasiness
grows within us. We can’t think of
anything but the darkness. Eventually, a
faint glow materializes through the window, the sense of dread diminishes, and
we allow our internal monologue to continue.
This is a very bold piece.
PJS lay out a live synthesizer array that sways gently in an
invisible breeze. “Parellels” captures
the duo channeling spirits from the cosmos and bending those phantasms to
their will. Their translucent bodies
waft however Christoff and Dique command them.
A binaural fluttering evokes graceful movement, such as that of a fish
darting through water or a soaring bird, and a subtle crackling emerges with a
fairly regular cadence, giving rise to a slight shiver. These are the sounds of a cloudless twilight.
Alas, physical copies of this captivating release are sold
out, but it’s available in digital form via the Crash Symbols Bandcamp, so
click on over there and prepare to zone out.