Seven Fields of Aphelion
(Graveface)
That fellow known as Tobacco might be the man in charge of Black Moth Super Rainbow, but his bandmate who answers to Seven Fields of Aphelion might actually be the woman who knows what's going on. Both of these mysteriously-named keyboardists shape BMSR's trippy psych grooves, and left to her own devices, SFoA seems to enjoy constructing large edifices of sound that slowly take on greater dimension, without regard to pop song brevity.
Periphery could serve as the music for the morning after a Black Moth show or in some cases, the cushion needed as a comedown after the band melts the brain. The warm underlying drone in "Grown" practically evokes the sleepy haze that's brushed away while staring out the kitchen window, waiting for the morning coffee to brew. None of the songs have any beats, but the best of them have walls of synthesizers that blend with acoustic piano. In these moments, the spacey Eno-esque sound also recalls Harold Budd's ambient works, with the piano bathed in a bit of tremolo. Sometimes the music just sits there, oozing slowly, particularly in the early part of the album. But most of the time SFoA sounds interested in doing more than simply stacking extra layers of keyboards on top of simple riffs. "Saturation: Arrhythmia" takes a Fender Rhodes progression and builds in dynamics by using a disjointed synth loop and electric sprays of sound to create drama. Several of the later tracks have melodies that have a soothing, caressing quality. And the album's abrupt ending - as opposed to a slow, gauzy fade - indicates that Ms. Seven Fields isn't lost in the clouds, but focused on her creations.
Standout Tracks: "Lake Feet," "Michigan Icarus." MIKE SHANLEY
