SAND, STONE, GLASS

Nuisance | SAND, STONE, GLASS | 2023

SAND, STONE, GLASS; a four-dimensional triple double album, and the first of its kind. 

SAND, STONE, GLASS is an album(s) that was recorded before it was written. Selected instruments were deeply sampled then coded and designed into a series of 31 virtual instruments by the artist(s) and used exclusively in the making of the record(s). These are made available with the release via poetic devices. A refurbished abandoned felted piano; an heirloom oud; experimental “found sounds” turned into unique synths; a vintage home organ borrowed from someone who dared offer it to some random strangers via a facebook marketplace post then dragged through the Milwaukee winter, are just a few of the instruments that comprise the collection. Each instrument on the album, and the recording of it, has a story which the listener can hear it in every sound they contribute on the album(s). To take it all a step further, if the listener wishes to play the same sounds on the record, with the availability of the library, the album transcends a passive record experience to an active one wherein the sounds can take on new life in other’s compositions. 

SAND, STONE, GLASS is three stand-alone double albums that can also be synched together (think Flaming Lips – Zaireeka). First, Ryan E. Weber (REW<<) composed the musical foundation of the album. Then shared his versions (SAND) with William J. Seidel (Decibully; Dramatic Lovers) who provided lyrics and vocals to the tracks. After the vocals were returned, templates with the vocals, and only midi data (no instruments) were provided to Scott Robert Allen and Eric Osterman (Eric & Magill). Scott and Eric then assigned the midi data to instruments they selected from the instrument library the band built having never heard what was originally used, composing and mixing their STONE and GLASS albums respectively. The result of experiment are mesmerizingly unique interpretations of the same 19 songs filtered through the individual artist’s singular aesthetic choices; yet through the limitations of them all working with the exact same tools, there is a universality throughout. Bewildering aural treats await as the same instruments are utilized in different capacities on different songs by the architects. Still with such depth to instruments, providing such a range of options for the artists, there is never a repetitive moment.

SAND, STONE, GLASS is much more than another exercise in the ever expanding universe of art meets technology. At the heart of this album(s) are incredible songs. The enigmatic William J. Seidel drenches the listener with emotion and wit throughout the masterpiece. His lyrical dexterity is only in competition with his unparalleled vocal delivery, floating through chord progressions adding the punch lines and gut punches to the lush musical accompaniment. 

SAND, STONE, GLASS is a puzzle with no wrong way to piece together. 

SAND, STONE, GLASS is out Winter 2023.

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