(2023) The Far Sound - The Far Sound        


Review:
Everything you know is wrong. The Far Sound, a new solo project by Rick Pedrosa, makes one realize that what you hear is based on what you know. Throughout The Far Sound, the music is based on shattering old patterns and playing in ways one wouldn’t expect from Western instruments. Along the way, it becomes evident that this Portland, Oregonian, shifts expectations to the point that it’s like you are hearing music for the first time. Droning notes eventually lead into a banjo that initially sounds less like anything a banjo player has ever done before falling into a familiar pattern. Just when it appears that everything will return to normal on “Finding the Temple,” an organ comes in and begins playing what sounds like a Middle Eastern tune. The sound keeps expanding, getting louder and louder, before fading away. A call and response between the banjo and what seems to be a slide guitar bridges the gap between Western and Eastern sounds before a heavy bass synth enters and storms clouds appear via more synthesized tones. This “Meadow Transmission” sounds, unlike anything one is likely to hear in most outdoor gatherings. A crescendo of chaos frames “Moon Drifter” before a slide guitar packages the proceedings, shaking the scene as something that goes beyond space and time to create a collage combining Pink Floyd with furry pink slippers. Despite aural surroundings that challenge your knowledge of music and instrumentation, Pedrosa has found a way to turn musical conceptions upside down. He creates notes from Western instruments that resonate in ways that make unbelievably fierce, foreign and familiar music while simultaneously changing the sonic landscape. Using the language of the banjo, “Last Chance” brims with a selection that seems pure country before the guitar comes in, weaving an Eastern ethic. More than simply a fascinating cultural exchange, the song leaves one breathless, trying to comprehend the way the synapses fire to write such a complex weave of music simply using Western instruments. Nothing short of fascinating, Rick Pedrosa’s The Far Sound defies categorization. Marvellous and mystifying, the aural landscape of The Far Sound is simply unlike anything ever experienced before, making music that goes in a most unexpected direction, creating a sonic timepiece where worlds meet. — folkradio.co.uk


   


Track List:
01 - Finding the Temple
02 - Meadow Transmission
03 - Moon Drifter
04 - Opaque Photosphere
05 - From Evening to Dawn
06 - Last Chance
07 - Further Exploration
08 - Astrocytes
09 - Midnight Prairie Rust
10 - Petals for Your Path


Media Report:
Genre: alternative folk
Country: Portland, Oregon, USA
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
Compression mode: Lossless
Writing library: libFLAC 1.2.1 (UTC 2007-09-17)


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