A Still Life: Volumes 1-4

In 2009, Adam Pacione released a series of extended ambient drone pieces on 3” CDs, one per month. Taken together, the pieces span about a decade of work, but even separately they’re extensive, riveting sonic journeys. More dynamic than Sisyphus, the music still evolves gradually enough to reframe time, as even the smallest movements assume vivid emotional hues. Pacione works in a chiaroscuro world, bypassing the complete bliss of more recent Stars of the Lid and instead zooming in on very real moments of imperfect peace. Everything is excellent, but I have a particularly soft spot for 3 and 4. No words, no FCCs.

1. (16:19)—Originally released with the 2007 album From Stills to Motion. A soft swirl of suspended, simultaneous tones that converge but never quite resolve. Picks up in intensity slowly—becomes slightly aggressive in the manner of an increasingly scorching heat.
2. (22:17)—Recorded 2001. First half is very calm, like the glow of a soft, outdoor light. Unlike “A Still Life,” the music grows increasingly dissonant and ghostly (though never unpleasantly so). Second half is a bit rougher and darker, but not aggressive.
3. *(18:36)—Recorded summer 1999. Lighter and purer, like being at a park in the late afternoon or watching the sun from the bottom of a swimming pool. A silky flow of brilliant tonal colors.
4. *(21:42)—Recorded 2006-2007. Begins in dramatic fashion, as though someone has just switched on a bright flashlight in a dark forest. The piece quickly settles into a pattern that carries through to the end, but over time the music also grows calmer and the brightness dissipates. My favorite.