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Reviews 117: Max Essa

Max Essa is no stranger to the elusive balearic sound, having mastered it at least as early as 2009 with “Lamma Island, 5 a.m.” (off Continental Drift). But with few exceptions (the stellar Themes from the Hood, the Cad, & the Lovely and Han Zon Roc EPs on Hell Yeah Recordings), even his most seaside leaning jams typically possess an infectious rhythmic energy…a floating effervescence like soaring over a vast expanse of shimmering blue water carried by tropical disco vibrations. So it’s a thing of true beauty to see him spread out fully into his new age and ambient tendencies with the Lanterns LP on Music for Dreams. Here, afforded the luxurious space of a full length album, Max dazzles with enigmatic compositions of beauty and wonder...like diving underwater and finding yourself surrounded by shimmering sunlight filtering through the surface and immersed within a mesmerizing coral reef, the hyperreal colors and unfamiliar geometries overwhelming the mind with calming psychedelia.

Max Essa - Lanterns (Music for Dreams, 2018) The music of “Lights Painted for a Road Trip to Spain” is every bit as evocative as the title and its introduction sees placid guitar intonations built from swells and loose chords washed over by layers of reverb and delay. The effect is like dew drops on a spider web, light refracting through the spherical beads of liquid, joined by prismatic rainbows in the form of floating pianos. Then we move into the second movement, beginning with huge washes of synthesizer, the sounds of water, and woodwind melodies hovering alongside a loose piano and guitar haze. It’s like Popol Vuh at their most pastoral (think Hosianna Mantra), until dramatic synth pulsations and cymbal taps generate a rhythm whose power is amplified by massive tom fills and near overwhelming waves of swelling synthesizer ambiance that lift the body and soul into realms of pure light. “Beautiful Western River” follows, awash in deeper than deep hues of dark blue and forest green, while ominous voices flow like mist. A methodical percussive march of hand drums, cymbals, and metallic accents emerges, while guitars swell like fog rolling into a serene valley…perhaps the location of the titular Western River, seen here snaking and curling towards a dark horizon. There are also arcing cosmic fx that move ear to ear, only to fade into an infinite vapor, while howling ghosts from some extraterrestrial jungle call out over the shadowy atmospherics.

We leave the river behind to walk the “Orange Trail,” guided by waves of huge insterstellar synth warmth swirling like some universal vortex. But this is only the introduction and we soon find ourselves awash in soft-focused pads smothered in sensual reverb, while romantic pianos traverse landscapes of lustrous silver sand and incandescent clouds of bright nacreous color swirls. Max then adds meditative acoustic guitar, like sitting on a porch staring out at an eternal sunset, with aching piano melodies harmonizing softly and synths blowing like a gentle summer breeze. Then come the aquatic kosmische cascades that begin “I Love You Today Too,” the music floating both far below the ocean’s surface and within the depths of outerspace. Cellos and mediterranean reeds intertwine with mournful pianos and their flowing jazz chords, while a downtempo rhythm fades in built from 808 toms, shakers, rimshots, and cowbells. And within the galactic ether, bass heavy pianos are set adrift alongside fantastically programmed synth leads…the tone both sizzling and awash in watery beauty. “Orbs Sensualium” features further expanses of cold yet divine synth interplay, like wandering around the Zone of Tarkovsky’s Stalker. Lysergic bass arps and echoing vibraphone loops swim on the swelling currents and electronic woodwinds fade in from the distance, coming into focus only to quietly disappear.

The title track drapes amorphous orchestras in white noise, with aquatic bass movements joining the euphoric ambiance. A sunshine shuffle emerges with live clapping by Karel Arbus, Eiji Takamatsu, and Coco Kawabe-Bruce, resulting in some gliding and gaseous chill out. There are new age pianos flowing against the gentle forces of string synths and filtered electronic streaks, while exotic bass notes walk peacefully below a picturesque rhythm stream. Then, a brief passage of cinematic western guitar and heavenly piano leads to a pause, after which synthesizers and electronics flow together, their ambiance setting up a return to the masterful balearic dreamscape…adrift at sea and lulled into reverie by the enveloping currents of sound. For “Breakfast in Yutenji”, slow synth bass ambulations sit alongside a plodding beat with snare under heavy reverb and 808 drum accents dotting the landscape. Max’s synthesizers sound like some mysterious cosmic ocean, with waves of polychromatic ice and particles of glowing gas washing and breaking against the vacuum itself. And at the center of this galactic sea sits a majestic choir, their celestial hymns merging with the cosmic microwave background for a spellbinding sonic tapestry. The final piece is “Fanfare for Shadows,” seeing pianos covered in dust and nostalgia sent through strange fractal delays. The simple chord progressions are overlaid by disjointed voices and industrial sound flares moving in the background, the vibe haunted and strange, though occasionally pulled towards the light by mermaids singing wordless fantasias of hope and love.

(images from my personal copy)