The atropos project is a solo effort from John Quarles, a multi-talented composer/musician whose influences seem to run from Sergeo Leone to Metallica via Mogwai, opeth and Pink Floyd. A nine track release, ‘Equator’ comes shrouded in a dark digi-pack case with a fascinating mural on the cover and only the most basic information inside, allowing the music rather than image to take precedence. This is as well because ‘Equator’ is a voyage of the imagination that deserves careful contemplation, free from the distractions of everyday life.
Opening with the contemplative ‘inception’s promise’, sombre cello and sublimely gentle guitar softly draw you into John’s world before ‘f.a.c’ sparks into life with a jazzy sound that recalls Antoine Fafard’s recent album, the drums providing a solid backbeat as Mark Morris’ guitars spiral over a rhythm section that is part Opeth, part Sonny Landreth. It is complicated in application, and yet far from inaccessible, the music surrounding you in a blissful warmth as it slowly traverses its sonic territory. Quarles is clearly inspired by a wide variety of music and whilst eclecticism can be a curse in the wrong hands, he is skilled enough to simply let the music have its head and determine the path each track should take – nothing here sounds forced or out of place, and as the music swirls and changes it’s fascinating to try to predict what form it will take next. ‘Deadfall’ is a much heavier beast, those Opeth influences once more coming to the fore with huge, chugging chords leading into twisted riffs. There’s still that jazzy undercurrent, but here the guitars have been clad in metallic armour, even whilst the drums keeps things light and airy – perfect for when a piano suddenly appears in the midst of the track. ‘Spiralling’ opens on a subtle, hallucinatory note, the keyboards introducing a note of suspense before the track opens up wide, the throbbing bass and off-kilter percussion supporting a guitar riff that slithers in and out of reach for the duration of the song. Fans of the Miles Davis-influenced progressive scene will be in raptures over the meticulous arrangement of the song, whilst enough weight remains in the riffs at various points to appeal to those who prefer their music with a tad more muscle.
Things take a more relaxed turn for the elegant phrasing of ‘a curious trip’, a quieter, more progressive orientated song with hints of Porcupine Tree scattered through its DNA. Subtle, rather beautiful, and with expressive use of space utilised instead of filling every void with sound, this is indeed an imaginative piece of music that fires the mind and leaves the listener feeling like anythgin is possible at the end of it. ‘And… lift’ is a shorter, more punchy piece that neatly breaks up the flow of the longer tracks and then ‘suspiria’ flips the tone of the record like a light switch with its creepy, jangly guitar and minor-key shifts giving way to a nimble, palm muted exploration of tightly plotted dynamics. Shades of Fugazi’s taut work on ‘end hits’ can be felt here, although the guitars begin to pack far more weight as the song progresses. ‘Drudgery’, as the name suggests, carries with it an air of resigned futility, although even here, there is a sparkle in the playing, as if there is light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how difficult to make out it may sometimes be. That light finally forms on the closing track, ‘new leaf’, a piece of music that shimmers with new hope and anticipation of the unexpected.
Atropos Project is one of those pieces of work which reminds you that music is primarily an art form rather than the mere source of entertainment that Simon Cowell and his be-suited cronies would so often reduce it to. The music here serves as a springboard for the listener’s imagination, and whilst I have tried to interpret the sublime sounds here, your version is as likely to be right as mine. And that is the beauty of music such as this: it fires emotions, dreams and desires in a way that will leave you feeling energized and elated. Here you will find hints of jazz, touches of metal and a pioneering, progressive spirit that will keep you ever guessing as to what you will hear next – well worth tracking down for any serious music fan.
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