Back when we (we being me) first joined the blog, there was an incredible dash in every direction to find obscure and interesting music before anyone else did. To be honest, it’s a rush that’s still part of our lives, but post-pandemic, we try not to think about things as competition or hierarchy.
However, some bands from that era that we picked up ended up getting stuck in our heads in ways we never could have imagined. For us, of those bands was Graphic World. The New York project blended endlessly flittering electronic and ambient work with compositions for guitar and keys that just really hit the spot.
It had been a while since we heard from the project, but recently we had the pleasure of receiving some new music from Will Ashby, the group’s co-composer, and now we can finally pass it on to you. Titled Infinite Horizon, it’s an aptly named journey through modulating, ambient guitarscapes that occasionally recalls the ruminations of Terry Riley or Robert Fripp but with a modern twist. Check out the intro “Spaced” below.
“Spaced” is a pleasant intro to the record’s towering sense of scale, which only grows from track to track. Even when reining in the dynamics on songs like “Gloaming” and “Möbius Loop,” there’s a hulking sense of weight lurking in the background. “Mescaline Cowboy,” one of our favorite pieces, sounds like a psychedelic bridge between the heavily manipulated neo-classicism of Garrett Gleason and the prog-hop tactics of Ando San. It can get pretty wild, and will likely warrant repeated listens for some to fully comprehend, but not because it’s inaccessible – Will just really knows how to get down with a looper pedal.
After the climax of “Mescaline Cowboy,” Infinite Horizon does shift into a hazier, more contemplative direction for a bit, but it’s no less rewarding. It’s a little more Alan Gogoll or John Butler inspired, perhaps – there’s more acoustic guitar, with less electronic fanfare, allowing for the subtleties of Will’s playing and the theme of the compositions to really shine through on songs like “Harbor” and strangely emotive interlude “Odd Bird.”
The last two songs collide as a somewhat poetic statement – “Leveled” succinctly illustrates Infinite Horizon‘s most integral electronic qualities, and shoulders not one, but two tasty guitar solos. The closing title track wraps things up beautifully with slow, crystalline waves of acoustic guitar (and literal waves) under a slowly growing string arrangements, and damn, if we are not getting emotional about the beach just thinking about it.
Good one, Will!
Make sure to check the whole thing out on Bandcamp here and if you’re feeling super amped, hell, buy us a coffee here. We need it because we’re trying to plan our future and stuff, which may or may not include finally getting around to Fecking Bahamas merchandise… Anyway! Coming up we’ve got Southpaw Sonata, an interview with one of our favorite new blogs, our first Not Another Fecking Gear Review, and more. Thanks for reading!