If it wasn’t enough with Joseph Dierker living
in Seattle and Tim Donovan in Brooklyn, 310 have now
recruited a third member, Andrew Sigler, who happens
to live in Los Angeles. Distance has always been part
of the process in the work of the band, providing them
with a wide range of sonic sources. This sixth album
sees the band developing their unique sonic landscapes
further and explore new musical directions.
Since their first release, 310 have continuously worked
at developing beautiful soundtracks built around processed
found sounds collected in Tim Donovan’s urban
environment and Joseph Dierker’s countryside setting.
On Recessional, these elements are as vibrant
and rich as ever, and Andrew Sigler’s vocal contributions
gives this record a truly human dimension. Athough Sigler
is now a fully-fledged member of 310, he already appeared
on previous recordings, providing vocals under his Fire/Fly
moniker.
Based around themes of cities and oceans, and cleverly
articulated around a wide range of sounds, Recessional
is a rather peaceful journey through sounds and melodies.
The fruit of two years of work, this album shows the
band at its most confident yet. Perfectly in control
of their art, 310 develop their atmospheric framework
over the full length of the record. Although the context
has an underlying urban feel in many ways, with street
sounds overlapping with excerpts of conversations on
a regular basis, the actual melodies and orchestrations
tell another story. A calm breeze washes away the dirt
and noises of city life and replaces it with beautiful
colours and tones. The sweet voice of a child playing,
a flock of seagulls spiralling over a stoney beach,
an old crackling record: as many touches of life brushing
against concrete walls and crowded places, evoking the
melancholy of old holiday films. Occasionally, the atmosphere
becomes more oppressive (Cloud Rooms, More
North Than Portland), and the hip-hop influences
of previous albums can still be felt (Shadow Traffic,
Night On The Ocean), but here, 310 focus on
the more opened and human side of their music. Their
urban folk is more adventurous and doesn’t need
to refer to any particular point anymore. 310 simply
capture life in its most desirable form. Alternating
between short sonic vignettes and fully developed compositions,
the band patiently develop a soundtrack for warm Autumn
days, always keeping the focus on the intrinsic beauty
of its components and on the cinematic strength of their
music.
310 deliver with Recessional their most mature
and accessible piece of work to date. As they continue
to perfect their musical environment, the trio broaden
their horizon and reaffirm more than ever their sonic
identity on a scene often more preoccupied by form than
context. Blessed are those given the chance to experience
310.
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