Toronto-based artist John Puchiele released a breathtaking concept album on the 21st of October called “change”, a true revolutionary auditory experience about a huge world concern, climate change. An instrumental-based musical experience, this is his fifth release made of seven beautiful compositions that take the listener’s hand into an ever-changing world. It’s striking that an artist thought of collecting an emotional experience of climate change and making it into an aural interpretation. John is influenced by artists like Igor Stravinsky and Steve Reich.
This album is symbolic in the way it shows the stages of change sonically. If this isn’t the door to melding creativity and environmental issues together we don’t know what is. The idea and execution of this album are brilliant. We’re not used to taking music as a road to play a part in environmental awareness. We must thank John for this blessing in disguise with this surreal experience, which we hope is a catalyst for many other musicians to explore these types of notions. The overall sound of the album is highly emotive and unearthly. It’s almost like a religious experience. The album forced you to activate intuitive listening, which is not surprising because the music really connects you to mother earth and its ways. Peaceful and meditative, the music pace is very slow and harmonious, you feel you’re being burgess and also pushed beyond.
The most notable element of this album is the musical pattern approach that imitates the earth’s nature of life, death, and rebirth which is an outstanding way to assemble a picture of climate change. The soundscapes of most of the tracks are essentially canvases of atmospheric, orchestral, and ethereal feel. The musical arrangement is very rich, with a lot of single piano notes, textured violin sounds, and playful flute sounds. The single instrument use was amazingly used to signify the sound that keeps coming over and over creating the previously mentioned pattern that helps portray change effectively. This is what makes the musical experience extremely dynamic, although the soundscape is calm and the instruments are few. Some of the sound effects used to create intense drama and anticipation in the music are some bass sound effects and heavy drums, trumpets, and percussions that extensively stand out in the tranquility of the soundscape.
The order of the songs tells the story of slow change through the rise, peak, and fall. It shows in the names and definitely in the sounds picked and marvelously arranged. It starts with ‘burning winds’, ‘ level rise’, and ‘an alternate green world’, which are all slow and build relaxed anticipation and intensity. Then comes ‘stages’ and’ times up which denote the peak of change which is usually accompanied by some turbulence. Then again the calm after the change with ecology drift and water blue. This is an album you cannot miss. It’s an exceptional experience, something different which we are in dire need of. Listen now on Bandcamp and Spotify!