(2021) Myles Cochran - Unsung


Review:
American musician and producer Myles Cochran has an enviable wealth of music crafting tools at his disposal, with a small studio in Devon and a larger facility in France. A quick look at the equipment list found on his website sees an amazing amount of producing gear and instruments, which makes this instrumental set all the more impressive in its admirable use of space and its restraint. Cochran is a diverse and experienced artist with as much an eye for detail and the nuts and bolts of music-making as technical ability and flair and this combines sweetly on Unsung. Immediate examples of this balance are ‘September 7th’ and ‘The Light There’, both of which utilise advanced technology to stitch together a sonic tapestry of patient innovative playing. Opener ‘September 7th’ introduces things with the subtlest of percussion and the occasional piano note blending with sparse guitar melodies and picked chords. The use of space here is key to the mood of the piece, which is mysterious and quite serious and although there is clearly plenty happening, all layered with the precision of electronic music, it is the lightness of touch and quiet assurance that is notable. ‘The Light There’ continues this method of gently building layers of space and sound, but the more obviously electronic elements here lend the track an eerier air, while the acoustic guitar playing over this foundation has an earnestness and earthiness about it that balances things out. It is a beautifully weighted song that again demonstrates Cochran’s talent for craftsmanship and subtlety. Perhaps even more effective is Momentary, a song built from electric and acoustic guitar lines and fragments, with Lauren Conklin‘s softly sweeping violin cutting through the mix and unnerving the pulsing strummed background sounds. This quite beautiful piece is very much reminiscent of Marisa Anderson’s playing, in particular her reverb-heavy music from Cloud Corner, which is never a bad thing. The Window is a moodier and more dramatic song, with a low noted acoustic refrain supporting piano notes, bass and what sounds like pedal steel. The yearning nature of the keys adds to the melancholy vibe of the music, while the dusky electric guitar evokes dimly lit jazz bars. There is a sinister menace to this piece that is irresistible and cinematic. Follow on song Love is as Beautiful as Pizza maintains the jazzier elements of the music but lightens the mood significantly with brittle percussion and brighter guitar playing. The piano is still hinting at a more serious other, but the groove to this one is breezy and uplifting. Elsewhere, the ghost of Windham Hill style instrumental guitar is all over Early Dark, with Cochran’s acoustic picking bringing to mind Rick Deitrich. The guitar is immersive on this one, but mention must go to Richard Curran; his cello part here adds significant depth and emotion and the song, an early single, is gorgeously simple. There is also a hint of Bill Mackay’s sometime bandmate Ryley Walker coming through on All Other Routes, in particular, the more spacious moments of his splendid Little Common Twist album with Charles Rumback. Cochran has fun here playing nuggets of guitar while the drums threaten the centre stage. There is so much happening on Unsung at any time, but it is all suggested through a minimum of notes and is always inviting close listening and begging to be picked apart. It is fascinating stuff. Towards the end of the album is Translucent, perhaps the most popular sounding song here. This one eschews the jazz structures and improvised nature of much of the set and opts for a band jam trajectory. What begins as a chirpy tune built from strummed guitar and a smart drum tattoo transforms into a muscular hit song, gradually allowing room for temporary blues licks and growling bass. After three minutes, the final fling arrives in thrilling guitars, including killer rhythm playing, reverb and solos and abruptly leaves with a wink and a grin. Final song It’s Like This / It’s Like That is a very different and much longer affair, clocking in at nine and a half minutes. As an antidote to the previous work out, this one takes its sweet time and makes room for cello and the soft trails of reverb guitar, all working with lightly plucked acoustics. Closely related to Momentary by its use of sparse and disparate guitar notes, this gorgeous track, the best of the bunch, is a master class in balance and use of space. It disregards obvious rhythmic underpinning, although the subtlest drum beat can be heard some way back throughout, instead, allowing Cochran’s love for improvised music to shine through. Unsung is an album that seems to be happy to utilise the tools at its disposal, while keeping a close eye on the intricacies of the sound created and the welfare of the notes constructing the whole. There is plenty going on throughout the fifty-six minutes and it certainly feels like this is a recording that took time and effort to build. There is an attention to detail, a meticulous quality to the sound that resonates and it never submits to excess or topples under the weight of its layers. That said, there is also an easy relaxed quality to this music as well as a looseness that comes from Cochran’s interest in jazz and improvisation. Dense without being heavy, intelligent without being esoteric, this is elegant, nuanced music that has been finely crafted and richly woven. Unsung is a quite remarkable album.





Tracklist:
01 - September 7th
02 - Crab of Many Shells
03 - The Light There
04 - Early Dark (Springtime Remix)
05 - Momentary
06 - The Window
07 - Love Is As Beautiful As Pizza
08 - Early Dark
09 - Churrito
10 - Nevertheless
11 - All Other Routes
12 - Translucent
13 - It's Like This, It's Like That


Media Report:
Genre: alternative folk, ambient
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