My review of "Lie Symmetry" CD by Aperus

[richardgurtler]

Aperus "Lie Symmetry" CD

The sole protagonist behind Aperus, Brian McWilliams, has released this album through his Geophonic Records during June 2018. I had the great pleasure to meet Brian a few months earlier in Tucson and Santa Fe when he showed me some of the accidental landscape photographs to be used for this recording, so I was really curious about the final outcome. Yeah, no matter if Aperus or Remanence (sharing on this one creative insignias with John Phipps), both these projects were always exceptionally distinctive in their sonic and visual expressions. "Lie Symmetry" is no exception, the glass mastered CD, limited to 300 copies, is packaged in a double pocketed plastic sleeve featuring two separate 6-panel fold-out inserts, one matte, one satin, with extensive liner notes and already mentioned photographs. Mastering credits go to Ron Sunsinger, Jan Roos and Jason Goodyear.

6-plus minutes long "VLA 1" reveals this thrillingly exuberant journey with an array of marching percussive elements, some nearly jazzy-infused, blended with radio transmission field recordings and monochromatic drone gliding serenely above. I believe VLA means here Very Large Array, a radio astronomy observatory located in central New Mexico. Another coincident here, I visited this breathtakingly immersing place with 28 colossal radio telescopes on the Plains of San Agustin only a few days after meeting with Brian. "VLA 1" is uniquely immersing and intricately disturbing. "Frozen, Broken" sounds quite appropriately to its name. Meditatively engulfing bells are exquisitely juxtaposed here and there by some intangibly arising intrusions, while the remote drone is hanging and nuancing atop. "When The Mountains Wear Black Hats", I love this title so much, moves to more perplexing, yet minimal sceneries, where quietly emerging murmurs are delightfully illuminated by unfathomably vague rumbles as well as by introspectively cinematic beacons. Wow, this is a really jaw-dropping listening experience, awesome soundsculpting, Brian! Shorter "Himalaya" is driven by high-pitched rhythmic patterns, mesmerizingly spicy and ear-tickling with a gentle touch of Tibetan fragrances. "VLA 2" continues the ride mapped on "VLA 1", but the flatlined drone is more buzzingly disruptive. At 9:02 the longest track on the album, "Marsh Lake, October" delves deeply into subaqueously echoed and ambiguously traversing domains, mysteriously submerging, where various metallic rumbles and eerie squeaks bridge with softly glimmering and elusively secluded clickety-clacks. "Ephemeral River" is propelled by enigmatically isolated heartbeats, while permeating cyber-tech sparkles, transient locomotions and escalating tensions add a peculiarly flavored feel. "Unfrozen, Unbroken" closes the ride with shadowy bells, warmly gliding meridians and glimpsing bass reflections.

48 and a half minutes long "Lie Symmetry" is spectacularly transporting recording with a massive amount of rewards, it's extraordinarily colored exploration just like all those unexpectedly occurring photographs. Abstractly enveloping and sophisticatedly polished, yet organically provoking! Top-notch sound quality with fascinatingly engrossing visuals on top of all that. Maybe I am not the biggest fan of the type of packaging chosen for this release, but "Lie Symmetry" CD is a truly magnificent release from beginning to end! And the same can be easily written about the complete discography of Aperus and Remanence. Another great job, Brian!!!

Richard Gürtler (Jan 02, 2020, Bratislava, Slovakia)