Benn Jordan - Pale Blue Dot (Alphabasic)

I guess the reason that I keep listening to Benn Jordan is the fact that he simply makes beautiful music. Period. In fact, I catch myself restraining from listening to Benn Jordan too much. His short, full of witty ideas tracks, produced under The Flashbulb moniker, have already conquered all of my last.fm charts. And the debut album under his real name is quickly gaining ground. Pale Blue Dot is Jordan's entry into building ambient soundscapes, released on his very own Chicago based label, Alphabasic. Composed as a tribute to an astronomer, Carl Sagan, Jordan explores the insignificance of our daily conflicts in comparison to our chance habitat on a tiny planet in the midst of an infinite space. From 6.4 billion kilometers away, Earth is nothing but a tiny pale blue dot. In his book, Sagan invites us to contemplate this miracle. "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar', every 'supreme leader', every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam." The tracks on Pale Blue Dot are titled around an interplanetary voyage. From Ascent, to Infinity Alone, Floating Vacuum, A Distant Earthrise, and finally Safe Landing, the pieces flow fluidly from one to another, capturing a story told without time. And Pale Blue Dot is more than a thematic album. It is an ambient journey through hypnotic sound, quietly drifting you away into space. The transformations are flawless, and many at times I seamlessly reach that sacred place of presence, by the middle of the album. If you are expecting Jordan's playful breaks and acid lines, turn away now. But if you are a patient, pondering listener, then you'll be repeating the album over and over, as I get to do now, for its fourth time this morning. A rewarding experience for a discerning ear. Recommended if you enjoy music from Evan Bartholomew, Biosphere, Christopher Bissonnette, Hammock, Eluvium, Manual and The World on Higher Downs.



myspace.com/bennjordan | theflashbulb.net
myspace.com/alphabasicrecords | alphabasic.com

The Flashbulb - Soundtrack To A Vacant Life (Alphabasic)

For over two years, it seems as if dark forces surrounded Benn Jordan's masterpiece, Soundtrack To A Vacant Life. First, it was the death of Sublight Records (RIP), followed by continuous production delays and tour cancellations. Finally the album is here, only to arrive a couple days after Benn released the album himself to be shared among the peer-to-peer and bit-torrent networks. Along with a quality rip, Jordan included a text in which he embraced the ever-changing distribution channels and encouraged donations and purchases directly from his own label, Alphabasic. Jordan's goal, as it is is clearly stated on his blog, "...is about exploring and testing the music industry in an attempt to find a place where both the artists and listeners are happy." Although this approach is by no means novel (must I even bring up Radiohead), nevertheless, I wholeheartedly applaud Jordan for his [successful] attempt to bring back the music. But let's not lose the focus here - the music. After all, regardless of the price and distribution, if the music doesn't cut it, it will simply fall into discounted bins. In STAVL, Jordan whips out every trick from within his depthless pockets. The elements are borrowed from almost every genre, from breakcore to African tribal drums, to flamenco, to hard riffed guitars, and soft piano pieces. Although the album definitely falls in the realms of electronic music, because of its sheer soaring breadth of instrumentation, composition, and production techniques, I would much rather see it filed under modern classical, serving its role as an introduction to the music I currently adore. So go ahead and download the album for free, I promise you will love it. And then I strongly believe you should purchase the actual CD or send a donation, so that we can all continue to benefit from the evolution of music.

myspace.com/bennjordan | myspace.com/alphabasicrecords