infinitely beautiful creations Harlan Mark Vale – GAZING INTO INFINITY: Listeners who have not been exposed to raw creativity in music (or other aspects of the arts) may not realize that they are listening to one of the most creative sonic artists on the planet today! When they spin “Condemned To Meaning“, though, the raw power Mark is able to bring to the surface will quickly be evident… he said to me (via email) “There are some powerful moments here that, like life, are not for the squeamish” – and nothing could be closer to the truth! This is a sonic experience unlike any you will ever have.
Ever since I first met Harlan and played with him, way back in the early 1980’s, here in Olympia, I recognized that he was one of the “real” players… not only in his music, but in his life as well… he uses many different palettes, shadings and instruments to realize “different”, and you’ll grok that as you listen to “The Feelings Egress“… timing is perfect on this composition, and Mark clearly knows how to use “pacing” to the fullest effect – a very impressive piece of sonic reality.
A full double-album will give you (literally) hours of sonic pleasure; for me, though, the most poignant illustration of how far Mr. Vale has progressed in his musical life is the scintillating synth-washes on my personal favorite of the fifteen all-original creations, “Pleiades Rhapsody“… I would advise that you carve out a slice of two hours to enjoy this fantastic album… it is the best I’ve ever heard from Mark, and gets a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of a (perfect) 5.00 – meaning that I also give it a “PICK” for “best creative album”! Get more information about this album as well as his many others on the Bandcamp site for this release. Rotcod Zzaj
