Environmental music has experienced quite the resurgence in recent years, but until last week, we had never heard a keyboard track blended with passing traffic noise. Or at least that's what it sounded like to us upon first listen. A strange pairing? Perhaps. Does it work? When it's done by Marv, it turns out that it does.
We here at DC have been waiting a while now to team with Enmossed - a Maine-based label specializing in music that is both beautiful and challenging, and whose profits are funneled toward various positive endeavors. This morning we are so excited to premiere Tokyo TX, our favorite construction on Marv's early September full-length release. Like other Enmossed singles, Marv's Tokyo TX occupies a unique tread. It is a song which can fade into the background if allowed, or reveal layers of detail with a bit of excavation.
The sound collage we alluded to in the opening paragraph (that keyboard/traffic blend), makes sense when you think about it. Wandering music and ambient noise together. Unlike a forest walk interrupted by highway buzz - a Gordon Hempton nightmare and an unnatural mashup, Marv's pairing of these two unassuming textures feels just right. Tokyo TX is an eight-and-a-half minute build which begins slowly, with only field hiss before the first warm tones chime in. Harp effects bubble up at minute three, and then french horn at four. These additions are subtle, but their presence conveys a sense of a gradual rise. Hear for yourself below.
You can find Marv's Keyboard Suite I for preorder on Enmossed's Bandcamp page, linked here. The album is out on September third, but you can hear all of side A now. And make sure to follow Enmossed for plenty of future releases, too. They're one of the best in the game.