California’s Geoff Garlock has made a subtle, little masterpiece with his newest release Don’t Die Today. His first release with Seattle label SFI Recordings, Garlock has made a meditative, transcendent album that welcomes the listener in with warm, open arms. Ambient textures, New Age headiness, and that DIY, personal touch that came out of the early 80s Private Press music world. Each song feels like walking into a new dream over the course of its enveloping runtime and 9 pieces of music.
Don’t Die Today harkens back to a time when ambient/new age music was a personal statement. Loner musicians/composers discovering the world of analog synths(70s), then later on digital synths in the 80s, and how that afforded them this entirely new world of music making. Sequencers, MIDI, and a bank of 100 sounds at their disposal to build worlds and convey and emotional connection that guitars, pianos, and organs might not reach. With synthesizers, the cosmic possibilities were endless.
Geoff Garlock paints heady plateaus of sight and sound here, and with the use of just the sound of someone walking through winter snow, you feel as if you’re on this journey as well. Don’t Die Today will take you on an exploration of the self.
“Into The Icy Abyss” opens with the sound of footsteps through snow, which then leads into calming, warm synth tones. It’s a counterpoint to the cold crunch of boots in wintertime. It’s a soothing opening track that sets the tone. “Walk Through Future Cherry Blossoms” has the sound of a late evening trail walk before a sonic wall of noise gathers and builds. It has an ancient quality to it, like you’re entering some massive hall looking for answers. And “A Path I Never Walked” gathers voices in the background with windchimes, giving the impression you stumbled upon some family function. Electronic tones take hold to carry us off.
Don’t Die Today is one exquisite sound journey after another. From the water splashes of “Racing Thoughts in Calm Water”, to the grandiose strings of “Dark Clouds Roll In”, to the subtle new age hum of album closer “White Point Thrashing”, Garlock lays a sound journey out for us to explore.
Whether you want a soundtrack to a summer’s afternoon rain or if you want to go deep inside yourself and journey inward, Don’t Die Today is the perfect vehicle for some serious aural healing.
Discover more from Complex Distractions
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
