The tenth album in
Stuart Hyatt's
Field Works series was created with help from scientists who worked on the EarthScope program, which researched the plate structure of the North American continent.
Stations adds vocals and instrumentation to ground recordings of the earth, producing music out of ambient seismic noise. While plenty of experimental artists (the roster of the
Ash International label immediately comes to mind) have used scientific or field recordings in order to create stark, alien soundscapes,
Hyatt clearly has a preference for making music which illustrates humanity's connection to nature. Employing the talents of dozens of notable musicians from a wide spectrum of genres,
Field Works' recordings are harmonious, poetic, and utterly fascinated with the beauty of existence. For most of the tracks on
Stations,
Hyatt is joined by an ensemble of musicians which include vibraphonist
Masayoshi Fujita, synth artist
Qasim Naqvi, bassist
Janie Cowan, and percussionist
Brad Weber, as well as vocalist
Hanna Benn. The album starts out calm, as the musicians warm up to the sweeping rushes and flutters of the earth recordings. "Station 4" is particularly lovely, as
Benn's wordless vocal melodies complement the bass, vibraphone, and
Hyatt's autoharp. The album grows more intense during its midsection, with submerged, skittering beats and synth arpeggios adding heart-racing textures to "Station 5," and "Station 7" placing the jittery, detailed percussion in the forefront. On the concluding "Station 10,"
Hyatt is joined by the inimitable
Laraaji, who layers his rich vocals atop peaceful drones before erupting in ecstatic, infectious laughter. It's all too easy for conceptual releases like this to feel too clinical, but
Stations is a joyous celebration of the planet. ~ Paul Simpson
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