Evan Gildersleeve - Wake

1. Wake 03:52
2. Fathom 05:13
3. Ego 01:58
4. Altar 05:09
5. Portal 03:40
6. Grief 04:36

A frequent collaborator with a wide range of artists including Jónsi of Sigur Rós and the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, Evan’s musical practice hones in on the minutiae of sound design as a tool for producing vast, highly emotive sonic wanderings. Cinematic in scale, his compositions speak to the human experience in a multitude of ways, in this case, tapping into the fragility of rebirth. Wake is deeply personal account, documenting a turbulent period of self-recovery and exploring the power of collective empathy. Across six tracks, Evan considers complex notions of existentialism with a masterful ear for sonic arrangement.
The opening title track is an epic crescendo of melancholic arpeggios and harmonic progressions that builds into powerful, slow marching drums - verging on industrial, but firmly placed in the ether. ‘Fathom’ leads with sharp edged drums through warehouse acoustics, building a careful tension. ‘Ego’ opens softly, gliding through clouds of distant chorus, whilst ‘Altar’ arrives at a vocal lament paired with vast orchestrations. ‘Portal’ rolls with swayed percussion through a dubbed out half time step. Closing things off, the aptly titled ‘Grief’ is a distillation of emotion, venturing through deeply layered soundwaves.