The avant-garde and worldbeat
influence in Ancient Cosmic Truth is undeniable, especially in
“Translucent Dodecahedron” and the supple title track, but it never translates
as coming from a place of arrogance. On the contrary, his style of delivery
invites us closer to the melody, as if to ask us to dance beneath the spotlight
instead of merely staring at it. There’s no arguing the presence Siciliano has
in these tracks, and it’s too organic to be deemed anything other than
spellbinding.
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/track/5if9klKLUsNsqqpTVU4IRc
Balance is one of the key
themes in Ancient Cosmic Truth, particularly in “The Secret of
Mansa” and “Bambara’s Symmetries,” in which instrumentation is meant to weigh
evenly rather than allowing specific elements to captivate us with surreal
prowess exclusively. What grabbed me here, at least from a compositional
perspective, was the unnecessary attention to intricacy Louis Siciliano pays
even the bottom-end textures that support him in any given beat. He’s a natural
at this medium, and if there were any critics unsure of making such a statement
beforehand, they need to hear this record for themselves to understand just
what a gem he is at this point in his career.
While studio recordings can
bring forth some of the most creative aspects of an artist’s profile, bringing
in the right creative minds to collaborate and expound upon conceptualism is
something quite different, and I think Siciliano thrives off of the setting
he’s presenting his material in here. He’s not reticent about digging into a
hook; instead, he’s chasing after the fever pitch like it owes him something,
and providing us with the sort of structure-bound backdrop that tethers his
sound to that of the many greats in jazz before him.
There are no two ways about it
- Ancient Cosmic Truth is a marvelously stunning introduction
to the music of Louis Siciliano, and if you haven’t already given it a listen
this winter, I highly recommend you do as much before February is over. His
style is like a cool pair of shades here, and if cultivated with the mainstream
in mind, I have a feeling he’s going to give us some of the more remarkable,
beat-driven content to come out of the underground in a long time. Simply put,
this is the jazz record you need to acquire this month.
Joshua Beach
