Brendan Byrnes — Astral Bloom — Full Album — Microtonal

Album available for purchase on bandcamp: https://brendanbyrnes.bandcamp.com/al...

0:00 - Hypnadelic
03:41 - From the Surface
09:02 - Karst Towers
12:43 - Rock Fever
16:49 - Ravenous Bloom
21:37 - Constellational Tectonics
27:13 - Adrift
33:17 - Memoryless
38:11 - Under the Surface
42:37 - Return to the Surface

This album is something I’ve been wanting to create for a long time. There are some traditionally structured songs here, but most of the music emerged from an almost improvisational process — written quickly and instinctively — progressing unpredictably and without a lot of repetition. Memories, imagery, and feelings from recurring dreams and a few perplexing astral projection experiences were a guiding influence. The album is intended to be experienced as a single, continuous piece that guides the listener through a fluid musical landscape. I wanted to capture the organic evolution and looseness of improvisation while maintaining clearly articulated ideas and thoughtful orchestration.

All of the music is composed using microtonal (xenharmonic) tuning systems, with custom-fretted microtonal guitars and bass leading the way. The album also features incredible performances by Louis Lopez on trumpet and Michael Mull on bass clarinet and alto saxophone. Their parts were meticulously recorded, often phrase by phrase or just a few notes at a time, using guide tracks to ensure precise tuning. James Waterman lights up to the final section of Constellational Tectonics with his masterful work on timbales, dunduns, and congas.

Thank you very much for taking the time to listen.

Brendan Byrnes —microtonal guitars, microtonal bass, microtonal keyboards, percussion, vocals, other assorted sounds

Louis Lopez — trumpet on From the Surface, Ravenous Bloom, and Memoryless

Michael Mull — bass clarinet and alto saxophone on From the Surface, and Karst Towers

James Waterman — timbales, congas, dundun on Constellational Tectonics

Mixed and Mastered by Brendan Byrnes at Rocking Horse Studios, Los Angeles, CA

All music by Brendan Byrnes

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