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Scandinavian songwriter 'Daydreaming' of new, classic style

By Joshua Smith
jsmith@mscd.edu

Daydreaming, the new album by Scandinavian Rafael Anton Irisarri, is a relaxing and contemplative release of ambient piano and guitar soundscapes. Irisarri is based out of Seattle and splits his time between creating his own music, promotional touring and running Kupei, a boutique record label catering to minimal techno and house.

Irisarri’s sophisticated and emotional, electro-acoustic creations are a welcome taste of pensive ruminations to help accompany the onset of fall and the coming winter. In the vein of such recent luminaries of modern abstract composition such as Twine and Stars Of The Lid, Daydreaming is a perfect example of a relatively overlooked genre of ambient, alternative classical-style music.

The album opens with “Waking Expectations,” where muted piano keys stand in the forefront, creating a container in which swells of sound and ghostly pops can live in a state of carefully controlled anarchy. This juxtaposition of form and formlessness create a greater pattern to explore the carefully constructed aural landscape of the track.

“Wither” is a track that speaks more clearly of the general sound of the entire album. A clean, simple, sometimes dissonant piece of piano work is slowly joined by deep swelling bass tones and tinny radio hisses of sound. Altogether these elements create a somber atmosphere in which the minimalist compositional leanings of Irisarri can be fully experienced.

Composed mainly of what sounds like pieces of wood being dragged across piano strings and softly chiming bells, “A Glimpse” is perhaps the most stripped down of all of the tracks contained on Daydreaming. In this piece the piano playing of Irisarri becomes the background, as opposed to the focus, existing only to create texture and space for the more exploratory sounds that define the piece.

For those interested in exploring more of the burgeoning genre of experimental classical music there isn’t a better place to start than with Daydreaming, as it offers fragments of more traditional composition matched with forward thinking, and sharp electronic production. And if the album piques your interest, Rafael will be appearing Nov. 11 alongside Germanprepared piano virtuoso Hauschka at College Chapel in Boulder.