(2020) John Gregorius - Full of Life


Review:
A key event occurred in the time between John Gregorius‘s second album for Spotted Peccary, 2016’s Still Voice, and his latest, Full of Life: a move from Southern California to the Sonoran Desert of Tucson, Arizona, where he’s now surrounded by the grandeur of the mountainous desert landscape. Casting his gaze on the saguaro cactus and palo verde trees around him, the guitarist couldn’t help but find his creative spirit nourished by the majestic setting, the result some of the most spiritual and absorbing music he’s produced to date. His expansive material lends itself naturally to spiritual expression. The typical Gregorius production is heavily atmospheric and densely woven, packed with layers of ambient textures and a rich blend of acoustic and electric guitar sonorities. Averaging about five minutes, each piece on Full of Life is compact and methodically constructed, some tracks spacious meditations and others folk reveries and post-rock instrumentals. On the hour-long release, the elegance of finger-style acoustic playing is occasionally offset by a raw electric lead, but regardless of the presentation Gregorius’s heartfelt music is never less than authentic. While a brief guitar solo does now and then appear, he typically uses the instrument as the lead melodic voice within a composition, that voice reinforced by complementary layers of other textures and patterns. Themes aren’t therefore treated as springboards for soloing but as the material’s essence. Stated otherwise, self-expression for him emanates from the production as a whole, making the song, with its character-defining mood, arrangement, and melodies, the focal point. When a solo does appear, it’s used to enhance dramatic impact and for contrast. His naturally developing pieces aren’t static and neither are they emotionally wanting. Tension builds as material grows from restrained beginnings into expansive climaxes, and resolution is satisfyingly achieved by the time a piece reaches its end. The music expands and contracts as necessary in accordance with the plan set forth by its creator. The opening “The Expansive Sky” soars gently, held aloft by a lilting guitar pattern that’s overlaid with a gorgeous, enrapturing melody. Right away the listener’s seduced by the track’s chiming presentation, the production so drenched in reverb it feels dream-like. Characteristic of the album’s tracks, drama builds through the addition of a shoegaze-like element to the background before it drops out to reinstate the overall peaceful mood. Even more affecting is “Unfolding Beauty,” arguably the album’s loveliest piece due to the ache of its supplicating, chords-articulated theme. The song’s elevated by a stirring melodic progression, its effect never more heavenly than when it emerges unadorned four minutes into the piece. Soothing ambient serenades come in the form of “Early Reflection” and “Rincon Fading Light.” Every piece has something that distinguishes it from the others, be it the pastoral grace of the title track, the swooning melody that buoys “Blanket of Stars,” or the Spanish-flavoured lilt of “Catalina.” While Full of Life is primarily a solo production, Gregorius is joined on two tracks by guests, Kayla Applegate (violin, cello) on “Path of Renewal” and Kimberly Daniels (vocals), Rick Baptista (bass), and Mitch Ross (drums) on “Monsoon Clearing.” Whereas Applegate’s strings enhance the former in the richness they bring to the arrangement, the contributions of the latter—Daniels’ wordless vocalizing in particular—similarly elevate the presentation.





Tracklist:



Media Report:
Genre: ambient
Source: CD
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits