FIVE PIECES

Under Blue, track one, a short piece whose passionate subtleness reminds me of classical romantic periods in its performance. Composition wise its atemporality as such relies on its minimal string's full arcs. Perfect as an opening track.

I Wish I Was the Sky, constructs in seconds an array of echoing violins, cellos and choruses. Its mid paced, frantic mode, allows different melodic lines to conjure deepness and focused experimentation altogether, kind of short lived, but lifts up the expectations.

Harold, the third piece, the briefiest track. A neo-romantic violin composition, displays to perfection Marvin Ayres' uniqueness in electronic/acoustic strings' musical language and his closeness to classical music roots.

Sensory, the 4th piece, blends solitary and echoing melodic lines and wraps them all around a darker and subtle backdrop with swirling strings and electronics detaching them from their acoustic nature. Slow paced hypnotic.

Harmogram (edit), the fifth and final track, a kind of short introduction to his 2012 "Harmogram Suite" (which I have not listened yet), previews a far more symphonic touch. A very nice closing tarck.

As a compillation, as it announces itself, it falls short. Having already listened to these 3 albums, these tracks as such are not exactly the brightest highlights of the original albums, but as it also self depicts, this project was designed "as a taster of Marvin's music".

Anyway, why go this route when you can plunge directly into his 2007 masterwork "Cellosphere" and from there on, as I did. But as far as money goes you can, up to today, download this "Five Pieces" digital album on the "free download" mode at bandcamp.

***3 PA stars.