Dive Index
Waving At Airplanes
Release date: Friday, May 29th 2020
Airplay Date: Friday, May 29th 2020
Waving At Airplanes, the fifth full-length from electronic composer/producer Will Thomas’s collaborative Dive Index project, provides an immersive and delicately nuanced exploration of both the human condition and the condition of humanity.
With vocals shared between Natalie Walker (of trip-hop collective Daughter Darling plus an extensive solo career) and critically-acclaimed English multi-instrumentalist Merz, the album marries memorable melody to evocative mood in equal measure. This time Thomas set specific parameters to his ever-exquisite sound design, sourcing almost everything (percussion included) from modular synthesizer. The only exceptions are some piano, acoustic guitar, and occasional extraneous sounds – nail gun, jackhammer – that leaked into the studio and were embraced into song.
Waving At Airplanes takes its title from the overtly optimistic act of seeking the fleeting attention of passing strangers for the sake of sheer connection – a wonderfully unjaded action confined to the very young and the very lost. Other themes on the album include missed connections (“Window to Window”), desert beauty (“Pristine Wilderness”), artificial intelligence (“Wish I Had A Pulse”), contentment with what we have (“Bruised and Beautiful”, “Near Enough”), and the current political climate (“We Can’t Change The Channel”, “19 Fools”).
Co-written and produced by Thomas and mostly recorded in his studio near L.A.’s Laurel Canyon (with Merz contributing remotely from Joshua Tree), Waving At Airplanes was mastered by Mike Bozzi at Hollywood’s legendary Bernie Grundman Mastering. The record is at once an audiophile delight and, warmed by Walker’s finely-grained timbre and Merz’s emotive expressions, a reassuringly visceral expression.
Walker and Merz also contributed to Dive Index’s lauded second album Mid/Air, while other past Thomas collaborators on the project include Joseph Arthur, Mark Gardener (Ride), Ian Masters (Pale Saints), and Simone White. Thomas has also released multiple minimalist electronic albums as Plumbline, including two Roger Eno collaborations, as well as composing film scores, modern dance pieces, and developing sound installations.
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