Andy Fosberry : (connection lost)

Andy Fosberry seems to be a musical wizard. Seriously, I think there’s some black magic going on with this incredible UK composer. His work is exquisite, and runs the gamut from film score work to 80s-inspired heavy synth to ambient soundscapes that feel as if the universe sighed and Fosberry somehow captured it in musical form. I was enraptured with his October release with Spun Out Of Control called Blair, Maryland, which was a wholly original score for 1999s monumental The Blair Witch Project. It was this organic and rich tapestry of percussion and tension, weaving a world where those horrors in the woods could very well lie.

Another album that Andy Fosberry released last year was When Comfort Is Stranger with Third Kind Records. That album truly opened up to showcase the sonic worlds Fosberry can build and create in the studio. A mixture of organic and synthetic, with a heavy lean on atmospheric vibes that pull you into that sonic world.

Now Andy Fosberry has released (connection lost), a sonic and spiritual companion piece to When Comfort Is Stranger. Fosberry recorded the album between Christmas and New Year’s weekends, and the songs are laid out chronologically in the order they were written. The first four tracks are lighter and carry with them a certain kind of weightlessness to them. The last four songs are darker in nature, and lay out a certain amount of existential dread. Something that we can all relate to, honestly. (connection lost) is a deep dive into an artist laying it all out for us.

As I stated earlier, (connection lost) begins in the light. There’s an airiness to the mood on these first four tracks. “the rendlesham forest incident” wavers in shadows, but never descends into the briar patch, per say. Fosberry has a kind of genius knack for sewing together orchestral-sounding tones with more ethereal vibes. It’s like Philip Glass, Brian Eno, and Howard Shore all combined into this heady musical experience. “evolution” shimmers with delicate intensity. Strings hum a lullaby as the song permeates a sort of fluid peace. Clockwork percussion gives the impression of time distancing itself from us. “remember places” brings to mind a groovy little jazz trio jamming in the cosmos. Light, airy vibes that bring to mind McCoy Tyner collaborating with Four Tet or Burial.

We then drop into darker realms with “under monolith waves”, an ambient tome that sounds like industrial noise wheezing from the center of the earth. Bee swarm hums and a sort of asthmatic rhythm permeates from the tribal gauze of noise. “rest now, rest forever” sounds like a late night excursion to the ocean shore as you realize how insignificant you are to the chasm of water and darkness before you.

I experienced something similar two years ago on vacation in Canada. The family and I made a late night trek to a beach on Lake Erie and watched a storm slowly roll in. Seeing lightning strikes miles out, and watching the dark thunder heads illuminate over black waters I felt small and feeble. This track gives me that feeling. It’s both beautiful and overwhelming.

“a shared experience” carries with it a bit of darkness and light. New age enlightenment and dystopian overcast combine to, while not completely reconnect with the world, give us hope that those lines of communication may reopen someday.

(connection lost) continues the genius string of releases by Andy Fosberry. This feels like an album played close to the chest. A record that walks a tightrope between hope and hopelessness, where hope may win this one.

8.2 out of 10

‘(connection lost)’ is available now. Buy it here.