On "Ways of Meaning" with Kyle Bobby Dunn
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Label: Desire Path
Year: 2011
Format: CD
Kyle Bobby Dunn is a name we’ve stored fresh in memory based on his recent releases on Low Point and Standard Form, and so it is with great pleasure we received news of this recently released ‘Ways of Meaning’ LP out on new label (ed. at least to us!) Desire Path Recordings. Dunn’s release is the second on Desire Path, so for other newcomers to this label, please etch this into your memory if future releases are as good as this!
With the seminal, semi-eponymously titled Young Person’s Guide to Kyle Bobby Dunn, listeners were introduced to this classically trained and prolific artist and most importantly his aptitude for composing minimalist ambient and classical compositions severely tinged by personality, intimacy and emotion. Again for Standard Form, Dunn’s contribution to the Rural Routes series again touched upon the aspects of subconscious and abstract. In Ways of Meaning, these concepts are taken further albeit a slightly more honed direction where memory and recollected experiences are an outspoken key factor. With track titles reflecting Dunn’s own, personal experiences, the compositions bearing those names reflect them well on to the listener and share the memories through vivid, retold imagery through music. Canyon Meadows is one highlight with its repetitive church organs rising and falling atop ambient drones and the result is beautiful and simply moving. As its reaches conclusion, a lovely ambient drone welcomes New Pures which glides along in cascading waves like moments in time in which the listener easily succumbs to their own inner thoughts and memories. Instrumentation-wise, Dunn’s choices are restrained and modest, church organs with their inherent sad and warm overtones and guitars/bass for most sounds and some manipulation with ambient drones and thus combines the grand and monumental with the subdued and intimate, at times becoming very tangible to grasp only to fade out into abstractness and slip out of consciousness. If the epic Movement For The Completely Fucked does not offer long moments of solace and uninterrupted privacy to those whom the title depict, little else will come close – he meandering tones of airy, organ tones over low, ambient drones induce a sense of peacefulness everyone should learn to be attentive to in life and revel in. The closing Touhy’s Theme is a deeply touching melody of floating drones that grow and secede – overlap and separate and with its slow movement lingers for a magical five minutes until end.
In conclusion – writing this I am aware it probably comes across with a kind of ‘new age’ vibe, but it’s important to stress that Dunn’s album on Desire Path Recordings rather comes across like an incredible collection of minimalist, ambient compositions bordering on classical movements – and the resulting home listening experience is one in which most listeners should find many satisfying moments within. Warmly recommended regardless but particularly if you like Stars of The Lid, Celer and William Basinski.
We wrap up with the video for Canyon Meadows
