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THE GOLDEN WORLD

by Backward Sun

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    Photography by Daniel Murtagh

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  • Full Digital Discography

    48
    releases

    Get all 48 Eric Hausmann releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Space Dog, Spontaneous Dub, Pareidolia, PIANOSMIA, THE GOLDEN WORLD, AMBIENT SPECTER, CIRCLING WAVES: Ambient One, Trio of One, and 40 more. , and , .

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1.
Reason 04:43
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2.
Return 05:41
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3.
Signal 04:31
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4.
Killing Time 06:04
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5.
He Said 04:14
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6.
Ritual 08:33
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7.
Waltz for the Blind 06:58
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8.
Piano Lesson 04:38
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9.
The Golden World 06:01
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about

The Golden World is the second release from Backward Sun’s Daniel Murtagh and Eric Hausmann. A hybrid of ambient and rock elements, field recordings, and found sounds, the album weaves together a dreamlike narrative which is not clearly defined but implied and intuitive.

The musical structure is always on the verge of melodic form and just as often, it dissolves. As in a dream, sounds emerge and vanish. Strings and percussion hint towards a linear path but blend into an overall improvisational equation.

The Golden World is meant to be a journey and is open to interpretation. It’s purely a personal expression; a window into the unconscious, or simply a soundtrack to a place rooted in the imagination. A movie unfurling like a train appearing and then receding into an immersive memory.
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REVIEW FROM: BE ABOUT IT PRESS-

Backward Sun develops a distinctive sonic language on the melancholic melodies of “The Golden World.” The album works best when taken in as a singular whole, for the tracks appear conversing. Despite a few words being spoken, primarily from found samples, there is a narrative that emerges throughout the entirety of the journey. Rhythms occur naturally, sans percussion. Stylistically diverse, elements of post-rock, drone, and classical filter their way into the fray. The songs gain a geography of sorts by allowing for a sense of place to define many pieces.

On the more meditative aspects of the sound, Backward Sun touches upon the grandeur of Stars of the Lid. Like their work, Backward Sun has no problem making things quieter, allowing the subtle shifts of the atmosphere to add to the work’s emotional impact. With the darker elements, Backward Sun suggests a little influence from Zoviet France’s eerie mystical entrapments. The field recording aspects, the way they weave the pieces together, from film and the natural world, Backward Sun brings a little of Luc Ferrari’s magic into the proceedings. For all these influences, Backward Sun does have a distinctive, glistening, and glossy sheen to their elegant work.

A hushed aura opens the album on the cautious optimism of “Reason,” with neat mechanical murmurs echoing into the vast space. “Return” is one of the album’s highlights, allowing the gentle drifting drones to create a kind, vocal-less lullaby. The growth of the piece heightens the sense of mindfulness the sounds explore. Nostalgic elements of singing ebb and flow out of the mix, allowing “Signal” a childlike wonder. Dialogue from far off gives “Killing Time” a heavier hue and the industrial hits that sprawl out add to the tension.

With “He Said,” the piece has a level of uncertainty, giving the song a sense of constant flux. The best work, the heavenly “Ritual,” has this celestial cadence. Melodies intertwine, resulting in a kaleidoscopic array of colors and textures. Piano chords decay gradually on “Waltz for the Blind” with the slow gait of the piece drawing from Stephan Mathieu’s intricate, patient drone works, themselves drawing from a solid classical background. Great fields of sound emerge and come into view on the tenderness of “Piano Lesson.” Tying together all that came before it, “The Golden World” ends the album soothingly.

“The Golden World” features the distinctive, painterly skills of the Backward Sun in creating an ambient universe that feels so tactile, real, and alive.

credits

released July 25, 2023

Cover design: Alina Abramova
Photography: Daniel Murtagh
danielmurtagh.com

Mixed by Daniel Murtagh
Mastered by Eric Hausmann

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about

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Eric Hausmann Portland, Oregon

Multi-instrumentalist in Portland OR.

A buffet of genres-ambient, solo guitar, improv, dub, punk/rock, soundtracks, jazz and hybrid classical.

Former releaser of cassettes at Spilling Audio during the 80-90s.

Do you have music on Bandcamp If you buy mine, tell me and I'll buy yours too.

On Bandcamp Fridays, all sales will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund the next day.
naacpldf.org ... more

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