Sometimes you just need to lie down, listen, and smile. That applies to both the source recordings from which Nanahari Edit grew and the finished product itself. Billy Gomberg (whose work I originally discovered by way of Fraufraulein, his ongoing duo project with Anne Guthrie) has hinted at this strain of wholesome, well-lit synthesis on previous solo releases, and it finally shines with fullest brilliance on this second Dinzu tape. Environmental sound itself can be breathtakingly beautiful, but that beauty too easily loses its luster during the process of capturing it and then presenting it to new ears. Here, Gomberg shades in those gaps with the help of a kaleidoscopic digital palette, each colorful addition brightening and complementing—never obscuring—the original textures. Much like the mundane snatches of everyday life that constitute its softly beating heart, the single 23-minute piece has no specific destination in mind. The spritely synths run errands and stop for coffee, bubbling in bliss at the sight of ducks crossing the road or a serendipitous run-in with an old friend, but overall they simply amble, any “progression” amounting to a contented stretch on a bed of sun-drenched grass in a pocket park. And isn’t that all anyone could ever want anyway?
Noise Not Music 