Search - itsnotyouitsme :: Fallen Monuments

Ambient Jams

Dean R. Brierly | Studio City, CA | 02/12/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the more intriguing recordings I've come across in a while. Conceived and performed by the duo of Caleb Burhans and Grey McMurray, "Fallen Monuments" is an inspired mashup of ambient, classical, electronica and minimalism. The pair sculpts lush, layered soundscapes with electric guitar and violin, while making extensive use of multi-tracking and looping. Each track is built around a simple melodic idea that acquires a surreptitious complexity through the gradual accumulation of sonic textures and harmonic accents, and subsequently unfolds with trancelike, enigmatic lyricism. It's the kind of music that doesn't demand one's full engagement--it tends to drift in and out of one's consciousness, producing an effect that's relaxing and also rather disarming. Yet it would be wrong to dismiss these ambient jams as lightweight. Repeated listenings reveal a structural integrity that speaks to the sophisticated concept upon which Burhans and McMurray work their musical mojo. Beautiful cover artwork, too."