“I wanted to do something that I don’t know how to do” a distant voices echoes along with fragmented thumps and synth swells to start Maze of Woods, the second full length within a year from Matthew Cooper and Mark T. Smith. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, having such a technical pattern introducing an Inventions song, but it begins to make more sense as the song progresses. Spatters of ambience and noise are slowly stacked until the halfway point, where Smith’s guitar work takes charge; and we’re back to the Inventions we’re familiar with. Much of Maze of Woods plays out this way, with more adventurous production coming from both sides of the collaboration, while the LP remains anchored in Cooper’s graceful piano phrases and Smith’s aural nuances. Vocal samples, field recordings, drones, ambience, and percussive punches are all added to the mix – not to create a whirlwind of noise, but a gentle storm who’s rain feels more comforting than ever. Maze of Woods is a compelling listen, an album that stands the middle ground between ambient and instrumental, drone and melody, and light and dark.
Working again in a house along the Oregon coastline, Eluvium’s Matthew Cooper and Explosions in the Sky’s Mark T. Smith have shut out all outside influence and simply focused on writing music that compliments each other. The drive for tracks like “Slow Breathing Circuit” begin with one of Cooper’s strong piano movements, but are quickly complimented by a stuttering string pattern from Smith. “Wolfkids” on the other hand, features Smith’s reverb-soaked guitar as the prominent instrument, until the warmth of Cooper’s organ playing blossoms beneath the thumping beat. Instead of each member having a firm hand on every moment of Maze of Woods, they switch between working in relay and tandem. A very emotive, Eluvium-esque piano phrase is made the sole instrument in the latter half of “Moanmusic,” but only momentarily as Smith re-enters to close things off. While it may be difficult to find a proper balance composing music this way, Inventions have managed to make it work very well. “Springworlds” is another prime example of this exchange, with vocal samples dancing with Smith’s guitar as the slow creep of Cooper’s powerful ambience rolls in like a thick fog.
While Inventions can’t necessarily be labeled ‘Ambient’, they’re music works very similarly – the music places more emphasis on atmosphere and aesthetics as opposed to strictly divided musical phrases and melodies. And while it may not demand your attention, it easily draws you in to it’s undeniable vibrance. “A Wind From All Directions” features some semblance of a drum beat, but not one that’s consistent enough to work as a rhythmic device. Tied together with sparse vocal samples and instrumentation, this stands as one of the best moments on Maze of Woods, but not one strictly driven by melody. There is a lot more support from vocal samples on the record, but they only seek to add to the albums vastness. Like the title suggests, its much like wandering through the woods alone – you can hear the voices, you know that they’re there. They just cant be seen.
Inventions is the product of two seasoned musicians, but not one that follows the musical formulas of either of their other projects, and Maze of Woods is a strong addition to the bands quickly growing discography. It’s a chilling, but comforting collection that would fit right in as a movie soundtrack (something Smith is already familiar with), but works perfectly fine in it’s own right. It’s clear that they aren’t striving for a redefinition, simply an abstraction. Straddling the lines between ambient, experimental, instrumental and contemporary classical music, Maze of Woods shows how beautifully sparse music can be. Plus, with incredible remixes from the likes of Leyland Kirby and The Field, only anticipation for more follows the listening of Maze of Woods.
Rating: 4/5