Continuing with the singles that pre-empt the release of the full album, Powers of Observation, Chris Murphy now gives us “Boreal,” another delicate and emotive sonic outing. History scholars and classicists will already know that the title relates to northern climes, after the ancient Greek wind that emanated from that direction and the god for which it was named. But this is not just a name chosen for purely aesthetic reasons; Murphy is a man who understands the connection between a neat title and the music he makes to express such an idea.
Coupled with a video that sets the man himself in the cooler climes of northern forest-scapes, the images and music dance together perfectly. As his musical layers of long, lingering bowed violin are gently driven by plucked string beats, as bassier notes create a sonic weight between the two, the primal beauty of the natural cycle is felt through the music.
More than just an ambient sound, “Boreal” talks to us; it is cinematic and timeless, sonic poetry capturing things we can only admire in awestruck wonder, music that reminds us of just how small we are when set against the permanence of nature and the majesty of the wild places.
And it is not the icy chill that his gorgeous and decisive playing carries to us, but the thaw, the returning warmth, the dappled sunlight, and the joy of the coming spring that is being ushered in.
The natural beauty of the earth is undeniable; here, Chris Murphy merely adds the perfect soundtrack to its grace and grandeur. And no one does it better.
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