RUBYCON

This beautiful sonic landscape is filled with waves and layers that combine together to forge an immense tapestry of electronic movement. Within the walls of this music is a fascinating and immense structure, a journey into the farthest, oldest depths of the Universe.

PART I.

Imagine a planet in the farthest reaches of unreachable uncharted space. The journey begins with mysterious swells and bubbly sounds, as if there is movement in this ocean for the first time. The first part of Rubycon details a growth, or a creation; an evolution in and on a planet. Here, represented in the slowly unfolding waves of pure music, life itself is moving forward, creating itself unendingly in the form of the Cosmos. On this barren world, blue from its old dying sun casting itself across the landscape, there is little life. Once the bubbles and layers of the first six minutes pass by in an aural dream, a dissonant synth wave flows above the listener's head. As if the planet and space itself are warping, a very thick and rhythmic bass line evolves from the fog. Small pangs are heard, as if the essence that the listener is observing is slowly ascending into space, farther and farther from its home. The music is slow to evolve, but it does so in such a precise, cold, and calculated manner. It is perfect for the harsh loneliness of space; one can easily envision a long, silent journey through the interstellar emptiness when this music is playing. As the sound begins to oscillate and shift from left to right, a vague sense of music is ushered upon the listener, now deep in a state of imagination and voyage. The waves gain speed and volume, the layers of synth increase in their breadth, and percussive sounds are added to the bass. This once benign voyage across an imaginary planet has turned into a journey, a cosmic voyage. The listener is now hurtled into the vastness of space, passing planets, stars, and whole galaxies. What can only be described as a dark feeling of dread now surrounds the music, as it delves into Part II.

PART II.

Now, after a long time voyaging through the vastness of black space, one makes landfall on another planet, perhaps, or finds a deep and previously unknown trench deep under an ocean. Here the land (or creatures!) is foreign and cold, the feeling of the music purely evil and primal in its evocation of fear. The synth is so masterfully controlled as to sound like a train's whistle blowing across thousands of miles, distorted by space and the composition of the land. Mellotron choirs, dissonant and minor, pierce the ears of the listener. Clouds of dread surround the music, the atmosphere a massive, climbing dark feeling of vastness. After four-and-a-half minutes of dread and despair, the music begins its motion of forward movement again. Perhaps the fear has been overcome, and has been replaced by a fascination with this new world, this new plain of existence. The music becomes to perfectly robotic, yet flowing; these simultaneous qualities combine to create a sort of anthem dedicate to science itself. Perhaps in this sudden appearance of a progressing line, an extension of the earlier bass theme in Part I, represents the rooting of life on this new planet. The life grows, as represented by the music, and achieves sentience after billions of years. The soundscape slowly devolves and dissolves until only the faint waves of the ocean, perhaps of the cosmos itself, awaiting these scientific, thinking beings, remains. It is as if the music laps upon the shores of the listener's mind, imploring it to come out into the farthest reaches. In the last section of Part II, an eerie dissonant theme yet again emerges, perhaps as more new and frightening places are discovered by this new and beautiful thinking civilization. It is overcome once more, though, leaving a heavenly synth and flute combination to totally round out the album. It ends on a note of hope, as if the Universe is spiraling toward some beautiful and great destiny.

I speak of many things in space, but this album could easily be about the deep ocean, or really anything else that allows one to go on a journey. More than anything, it may turn out to be an "inner" journey, of self-discovery. That said, it's pretty obvious that I regard this album very highly; almost on a philosophical level, even. Sheer beauty and innovation combine here, in 1975, to create a truly unique genesis of sound. This album is life itself.

5/5 stars, and a formal order to find it and purchase it.