In many ways, these two recent albums (one physical, one digital only) are the quintessential works from Will Long’s Celer guise. Both Akagi and Soryu are expansive, lengthy single piece works that at times are so hushed and delicate to almost be imperceptible, yet they remain compelling and beautiful from beginning to end.
Akagi especially seems to have been composed specifically in a way that tends to drift in and out of consciousness..The work was originally created to accompany a live yoga event in Japan, requiring music that would not just be understated and unobtrusive, but that could convey a meditative quality to it as well.The piece was based around two tape loops of synthesizers, with similar, yet at times contrasting structures that result in peaks and valleys of volume and intensity.
Akagi was obviously composed with the CD format in mind since it clocks in at mere seconds shy of 80 minutes, the accepted maximum for a disc.Additionally, it has such a quiet dynamic to it that the imperfections in most analog media would overshadow the music.The early portion of the piece is especially quiet, requiring attention to hear the most subtle of sounds that Long utilizes.When the music is the most prominent, it retains the distinctly Celer sound of haunting, but not sinister spirits captured in audio form.
When Long pulls the volume back, the result is an odd, delicate sound that is positively shimmering, a fragile sound that is so delicate it sounds as if it could break at any time.Eventually he blends in some dense, heavier yet still warm low-end passages that make for a more commanding sound, but one that never becomes too strong or overwhelming.The somewhat more forceful, attention-grabbing moments balance those relaxed, calm passages extremely effectively, so that even a work which is designed to sometimes fade into the background cannot fully be ignored.
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Soryu in some ways feels like a demo or an early attempt at the strategies employed in Akagi.It has a similar structure, being a single, 63 minute piece that strays way from the drone heavy reputation that much of Celer’s work previously was based on.Instead of repetition it is vast expanses of tone and melody.Long again takes the piece from more commanding to near silent moments, like sunlight passing through the clouds, but it comparably has less focus.It is by no means a bad album, but in comparison to Akagi it lacks that delicate touch and conceptual strength.
Both Akagi and Soryu do act as a subtle variation on Long’s prolific work as Celer in that they are less pure drone oriented and have structures more akin to classical ambient work.While he works with a similar palette of lengthy, hushed tones and textural expanses, the pieces are less about repetition and more of a sense of vast structure and delicate composition.The quiet dynamics, especially on Akagi is at times so peaceful it could potentially lull me to sleep, but due to it achieving the goal he intended more than any sort of dullness.
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