An Orchestrated Impulse is a collaborative effort between visual artist Eva Magill-Oliver and recording artists Matt Pond and Chris Hansen. The project sees the 12 tracks of the album paired with 12 paintings. While it's not overly important that you've seen the artwork, I'm hoping that there's a booklet that comes with the recording so that listeners can see what the compositions were linked to (we didn't receive a digital booklet for this review).

As the press information states: "In its completed state, An Orchestrated Impulse is intended to be interactively experienced. The observer will move through the installation, choosing what they see and hear, and how intensely the pieces stand alone or in relation to what the artists have seen and heard from one another."

While it would have been great to experience this as it was intended, the music is strong enough to stand on its own. There's a nice mix of styles here with everything from ambient background noise 'March (E Minor)' to tranquil meditative pieces 'Stillness (Db Major)'. It opens with the subtle, slow build 'Chroma (C Major)', which was probably the highlight for me.

It's really a collection of pieces that you can put on randomly and get a different experience each time. It's the sort of laid back music that is perfect to put on in the background while you relax or do something where you don't have to concentrate. Letting the music simply exist as a background sound to your day is also a pleasant way to experience this work of art. It's a wonderful album which has so many layers to explore.

8

Nick Smithson