Picture a forest at twilight, the deep blue-grey sky peeking through trees. The quiet steps of small animals in the distance far off the bare trail hikers walk on. Bugs crawl through the roots of massive pines. Every single living thing here is codependent in some way. Beneath one of these great pines is a place to rest for a moment and know what the forest has to say. A shadowy figure from the bushes. Whatever this manifestation may be, it is part of this place and has a deep knowledge of all its intricacies. Andrew Tomasello has certainly met this figure at one point, deciding to share what he has been told on his new album Neon Grey.
The tracks are hard to truly separate from each other, blending together like stream of consciousness writing. In short bits, it seems wholly unconnected, but the album is one complete thought from start to finish. This may come down to the editing of the pieces. While there is a lot of silence between tracks, the fade in/out between tracks is comparatively subtle and most of the recording is very quiet making it very easy to fall into a trance. It’s the equivalent of the soft blue light of a twilight sky among the maples.
Musically, although there is the continuity, the last track truly stands out. Wanting To Be ______ is an eleven-minute masterpiece of a track, opening with a low piano riff that swirls around in the listener’s ears. There’s a quiet synth that feels like roots creeping up your arms, pulling your tired body into the earth. Low loud static builds from there, go now deep into what has given you life. You are okay now just sink deeper still into the rich loam. Close your eyes and let go. Let go. The piano keeps on playing as the low rumble builds. They blend together into a new sound, equal parts dark and calm. That continues until the end, leaving the listener fully at peace.
Andrew Tomasello’s new album takes the listener on a trip. Not a very long one, clocking in under 30 minutes, but a powerful one. In the short runtime he fills the listener with a range of emotions from elation to terror. Somehow it all works wonderfully. It puts the listener at ease with everything. Trying to find an album that’s able to do that in today’s world is very very hard. It would be criminal to pass this one up. If you’re looking something like that, listen to Neon Grey now.
