If music is about a journey—and it usually is—there are all kinds of ways to create that sense of journey. At its heart, music is about tension and release. Traditionally, that comes from harmonies that weave a pattern of subtle discord and resolution. But it can come from other places, too. An increase in complexity over time. The changing of a sound's color as a note is passed from one instrument to the next.
In R@_bit, that journey often comes by venturing out into an increasingly jagged sea of layered percussion and ominous drones, and then back to the haven of a warm, comforting melody.
For those familiar with Porter's earlier work, the textures and sounds here will be at once familiar and shocking. The JRPG inspirations that drove work like Leaving Home and Bound Together are still very much present. But there are other forces at play here, as well. Dense, intricate rhythms, flourishes of hand percussion, jangly New Wave guitar, and stray bits of chiptune join the familiar strings that form the emotional core of those earlier works.
The album opener, “Salve”, is a perfect illustration. A jagged, edgy beat is infused with a tender, homey string melody that's just percussive enough to blend in with the rest of what's happening. And yet its presence immediately creates a sense of warmth, or home, or even longing. The overall effect is like a marriage of JRPG soundtrack and 90s industrial rock. And in that strange juxtaposition, something magical happens that isn't quite expected, but which feels absolutely sublime when you hear it.
When an artist crafts something that brings all of their loves and influences together, that's when you get their most personal work. It's when you see them at their most unique. It's when you get something that only that person could have made. The sheer breadth of things happening here, and the mastery with which they're interwoven, give you the sense that that's exactly what this album is.
R@_bit is playful, and melancholy, and contemplative, and often menacing. It's a journey away from and towards and back away from comfort. And for all of the styles and sounds that it incorporates, and for all of the places it goes emotionally and sonically, the ride feels deliberate, and complete. This is a story. And it's the sound of a composer finding their voice and using it to incredible effect.
Credits
Released on November 15, 2020
Composed, mixed, and mastered by Chris Porter
Album art by Jonathan Griffith
Liner notes by Michael Garrett Steele
Special Thanks to Craig Manley
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OFFICIAL WEBSITE: skitch84.wixsite.com/chrisporter
