Luminous Shade

Good morning everyone!

Solace of Spirit is out now on Bandcamp, and will be on streaming services in a matter of days. There will be a listening party on Bandcamp tonight at 7pm EST, so tune in if you can! The link will be on the album's BC page.

This is the first album I wrote in a totally continuous manner. With that in mind, all of the "songs" were arbitrarily chosen, as I wrote it all in one project file with no breaks. This causes a slower moving dynamic that slowly morphs from one mood to another.

When thinking of a theme for this album, I kept thinking about the triumph of the human spirit, specifically when you gain the upper hand on handling your mental health and become more ok with who you are. The idea of enjoying my own company was alien to me for a long time, and after a long road, I have mostly learned how to do just that. This album represents my musical hope that everyone out there can learn the same thing for themselves.

Solace of Spirit, by Luminous Shade 7 track album

Empty House is an album I recorded while house sitting for a good friend. I brought most of my equipment and set out to write one song every day for the time I was there. I did some fun experimentation along the way, including setting up a microphone and amplifier in his squared shaped isolated shower, resulting in some very nice reverberation.

While trying to think of a theme and titles for this album, my aunt lost her battle with cancer, and so I thought to dedicate it to her. Empty house refers to the state in which my uncle now lives, and I can only try my best to empathize with that state of loss.

This wraps up my posts that detail previously released albums under Luminous Shade, and so now I will start teasing new material that is to come. As always, all these albums are available on streaming platforms and Bandcamp

Bloom, an imperfectly beautiful collaboration between myself and which jumpstarted our friendship. Eareckson reached out to me online and after talking for a bit, we decided it was only proper to do an ambient jam, which I certainly had never done before.

We met up in his synth dungeon and recorded 3 hours worth of material. Afterwards, I combed through and arranged the recording to an acceptable album length. As mentioned, it is imperfect. Recorded with a tascam handheld, you can hear every loop pedal click, amp feedback, us fumbling around our equipment, and the occasional wrong note.

The result is a set of songs that neither of us would have been able to create individually, and this reaffirmed to me that collaboration is one of my favorite things to do when it works out well. I will always encourage any musician to branch out and try working with new people. Though it might not always work, doing so will improve your musical flexibility and empathy. You might surprise yourself!

Bloom is on all streaming platforms and Bandcamp, as well as in CD format.

Vantage started with the concept of using the electric bass heavily for moulding the soundscape, paired with Brian Eno's multiple tape loop method for creating ever shifting music motifs, which can be heard on his landmark album Music For Airports.

I also had the Ebow by this time, and used it heavily. It also made me realize it was often more fun to improvise on the bass with the Ebow, and then build everything else around that. I also tried to act off the idea that unlimited options are the death of creativity, and so limited my instrumental options to see if I could make more with less.

This album is a culmination of my compositional techniques and expression that I have been working on for years. To say I've seen my own abilities improve is an understatement, and therefore I am quite proud of this release among all the others.

I hired for the cover art which is truly magical looking, you should check out her art and awesome talents.

Otherworld, an EP of three cinematic songs that sat unpublished for a while as I had originally intended them for a collaboration album that fell through.

Ill Fated Sun is a song I wrote directly after having seen the original Blade runner for the first time, and is quite derivative. Rivers of Sand grew from a haunting motif that I fumbled around on, incorporating some elements of classical music, which was my introduction to playing music. A Lasting Sanctuary came from a section of a short film I scored, and I liked the musical theme so much I thought to give it its own place to shine. Certainly the most soothing song on this release.

Check it out on any of the streaming platforms, and I hope it sends you, the listener on a sonic journey as it does for me.

Secluse Reflection, my first attempt to create something that reminded me of Brian Eno's music.

I believe for this single, I was often listening to Brian Eno's Neroli thinking music album and I wanted to create something similarly quiet and contemplative. This was also the first time I started using electric bass in my music. I fumbled around and found a cool chord that I could play a melody on, which gave birth to this song.

It is fairly repetitive which is the point. It is meant for a quiet moment, to freeze time, even if only for a little. This is the kind of song that helps me appreciate the small, still moments in life.

Hey all! As promised, I am starting with posts showcasing my previously published work. Today's post is about my first full album Precarious.

This album was published in August of 2021 and was the first work I did after switching DAWs. This move spurred my creativity as the whole process was fresh. At this time, I was almost entirely writing in a piano roll with VST presets. Some exceptions included recording my sister's lovely voice, which can be heard on the embedded song Beneath Ice. I liked how these organic textures that were mine in origin colored the musical landscape.

While VST presets are fun and gave me sounds I wouldn't have known how to make at the time, it bothered me that in my eyes, I was just taking sounds other people had created and applied them to notes, or "frankensteining" other people's sounds. I became determined at that point to create more of my own original sounds going forward.

The album link is below, as well as in my linktree and all streaming platforms.I hope this album connects with somebody. It just takes one to make me happy.

https://luminousshade.bandcamp.com/album/precarious