Things, for the most part, happen in the same way each day. Occasionally, we’re convinced that we can make sense of them. Sometimes, we even feel like we can hold dreams in the palm of our hands, look at them, interpret them. But our attention is easily swayed. We forget about our dreams. We give up on interpreting them.
This is why the world needs artists to act as dream weavers. Still, it’s not a wholly selfish act. The artists are piecing the fabric of dreams together, but they too need something. They need a bit part in the play, the starring one. It’s how they can make sense of what goes on in their worlds.
Faced with the need to reconcile with grief and tragedy, and able to call upon a sophisticated psychdelically-tinged sound and a reputation as a musician which he’s built for years, Dren McDonald delivers “Vox Pterous,” a poetic meditation on grace, life, and time.
McDonald likes to shape sound in a way that reminds us that everything is cyclical. Seasons come and go, people are here, and then they are not, and grief eventually fades away. Musically, throughout the six-song set, this is suggested through layered instrumentation, through minimalist sets of guitar notes that repeat, blend and create a mesmeric effect.
Significant is also who McDonald associates with across this record. Guest vocalists are brought in and largely contribute to the ethereal nature of the compositions.
Just listen to the opening track, “Anchors Up,” where the acoustic guitar lines and classic folk-like melodies, along with the repetitive melodies, bring to this writer’s mind, in equal measure, ancient Celtic folk, as well as modern avant-garde minimalism.
“Resting of Light,” which features the talents of Carla Kihlstedt and Amelie Anna, is another highlight of the record. This is clever, sophisticated songwriting that could easily work as the soundtrack to an old fairytale whispered over radio waves. It’s a real highlight.
Then again, it’s what Dren McDonald creates in terms of the overall mood of the record, an airy, dreamy feel of the compositions coming together that’s most rewarding about hearing this EP. Where does it leave us? Perhaps a little more at ease with the knowledge and feeling that life just dances in and around us in circles.
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