Playing in Tongues is the brainchild of New York City composer Lucas Gonze. The projects second album “Astomatous” explores contrasts across six tracks in a 30-minute runtime. The album presents a journey between clarity and complexity, featuring traditional mandolin playing that gradually transforms through electronic processing.
The first track “Arrival In Heaven” starts out as a lulling, atmospheric piece that emits a feeling of comfort and warmth that eventually blend into more abstract, experimental tones. It’s a beautiful start to a record that is undeniably introspective.
Things shift into the title track “Astomatous” which features absolutely haunting sounds created on a Mandolin. The way Gonze is able to use the instrument in such a heavy way is truly astounding. At times it makes me think what it be like if you could peel back the layers of the Earth and hear what’s going on in it’s core.
“Dead Mans Hands” showcases a lot of wavering analog tape sounds as beautiful chords ring out over top of it all while ” Իդա (Ida)” is the first track to bring drums into the picture. It’s a very short yet important piece that also features what sounds like a freight train chugging along with the beat. I really enjoy the way this all unfolds as it really adds a very cool element to everything.
Meanwhile “Hunting For Little Mimi” is an astonishingly stunning track that starts out with a lot of space and distance between the tones before it spontaneously erupts into a sea of mesmerizing sounds. The rumbling that hovers underneath everything is like finding an abandoned industrial complex at the bottom of the ocean floor as ominous notes move ever so slowly before fading away.
The album’s closer is the captivating “Mom? Is That You?” which showcases manipulated chords and only what I can describe as “silence that you can hear”. It’s a hopeful yet greyish piece that eventually breaks out into more distorted territory before returning to a more ambient state.
Hands down this is one of the most inspiring records I’ve heard in a long time. I’m a massive follower and fan of experimental soundscapes, harsh noise, harsh noise wall, music concrete, power electronics and soundtrack scores and “Astomatous” has many aspects of those genres but it’s really something all it’s own. The record takes you into another place and state of mind and i highly recommend listening to it as one coherent album with no distractions but obviously you can enjoy it however you’d like.
Gonze has created an experience as much as they’ve created an album and it’s one I look forward to returning to time and time again.
