Beach Sloth

Danny Clay - When the curtains of night are pinned back by the stars 7.0

                Danny Clay’s world is a muted one. There is the gentle quiet of each piece. Classical, guitar, and occasional ventures into folk give it a real heart. With the far away nature of many of the pieces it gives off the sense of something almost knowable. Right when Danny Clay is about to do a giant reveal the piece becomes gentle. Such delicate pieces are truly magnificent in their successful mix of the acoustic and the electronic. At times it is difficult to tell precisely where Danny employs the electronic effects on the acoustic sounds. Thus the album is less reliant on any specific melody and more on sheer mood. 

                The beginning of the album flows quite well. From ‘Prologue’ to ‘Nocturne/Three Bells’ the song might as well exist as a single song. Without a concrete beginning or end the sound simply exists. ‘From the book of old eden (I)’ takes a folk approach. Electronic effects linger in the background. They add to the general atmosphere of the piece. Here Danny Clay’s work is exceptional. Indeed this may be one of the highlights of the album. ‘Sighing softly’ offers the gentlest, almost-not-there experience of the whole album. Reminiscent of a decaying tape loop it builds up various levels of fuzz before it bleed into ‘In the sweet bye and bye’. 

                Happiness and contentment can be found all over the album. Pure meditative music rarely sounds this good or this focused. Small details (vinyl crackle, backwards sounds) come together to create an inviting fully-formed whole.