Ethan Gruska – Slowmotionary (2017) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Ethan Gruska’s solo debut, the luminous Slowmotionary, embraces a range of sounds and styles, with influences from jazz and folk to ambient and alternative, Slowmotionary integrates everything into a whole that is original, idiosyncratic, and embraces its own imperfections. “I really tried to let that humanity in and to not only leave these quirky blemishes in, but to highlight them,” says Gruska. “I didn’t want perfect. I wanted true. I wanted honest.” He made room for a little serendipity in his creative process, sensing that too calculated an approach would diminish the impact of the music. That spontaneity provided a wonderful counterpoint to his thoughtful and revealing lyrics. Showcasing Gruska’s hushed vocals and subtle arrangements, these songs resonate with the intimacy of an internal monologue, as though we’re sharing in his darkest worries. “The goal was to have it be like a sound collage that I had made. It was really exploratory, with a lot of sampling and reversing-techniques I had tried in the past but had never gotten to fully explore.” The results are beautifully minimalist: songs as whispered confidences, with what Gruska calls an “arctic” sound, windswept and cold, befitting lyrics that depict moments frozen in time. “I didn’t want to hide behind anything. That’s why it’s produced and arranged the way it is. It’s very barren at certain moments. These songs slow down time for me, which is why I called it Slowmotionary. I needed to put myself out there musically and lyrically.” And that meant not making it perfect. It meant making these songs sound like the results from something other than a studio. It meant conveying the sense of music that is being written at the same moment you hear it. “A lot of the record is mysterious, even to me. It’s not something you always tap your foot to. You’re listening to my thought process.”

Tracklist:
01 – The Valley
02 – Me Who Wasn’t Trying
03 – Reoccurring Dream
04 – Short Film
05 – Rather Be
06 – Crowded City Street
07 – Grand Lies
08 – Neighbors
09 – What Are You Thinking Of?
10 – Time Is the Healer
11 – The Egotist
12 – Illuminate

Download:

mqs.link_EthanGruskaSlwmtinary2017Qbuz2496.rar

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