Jules Reidy's latest album, 'Clerestory,' presents a profound exploration of harmonic language and compositional depth, moving beyond a confessional singer-songwriter approach. This work delves into the intricate relationship between schematic musical forms and subjective emotional responses. Reidy, known for their cerebral and patient artistic methodology, meticulously anatomizes their music through complex tuning systems and a unique lens that refracts established compositions into novel auditory experiences. The album stands as a testament to Reidy's evolving artistic vision, emphasizing the role of the composer in shaping the listener's journey through sound.
A central piece in 'Clerestory' is 'Shadow Symmetric,' a 17-minute composition originally commissioned for the acclaimed JACK Quartet, a contemporary chamber ensemble recognized for its interest in just intonation. Reidy masterfully reconfigures this piece within the five-part 'Clerestory Windows' suite, employing re-arrangement and sampling. This process allows the emotional core of the quartet's performance to be transformed into pristine, innovative sonic structures. The string quartet, an ensemble notorious for its demanding compositional requirements due to the timbral similarities of its instruments, is expertly navigated by Reidy. Each instrument is given ample space to contribute, preventing acoustic registers from clashing and allowing individual personalities to shine.
Reidy's guitar discography has consistently featured the exploration of harmonics—the airy overtones created by lightly touching strings at specific points—which imbue their music with a radiant yet unresolved quality. In 'Shadow Symmetric,' the quartet employs two subtly distinct pitch sets that interweave and shift throughout the composition. This interaction generates 'beating' interference effects, adding a dynamic layer to the sound. When chord voicings, typically performed by Reidy as a soloist, are distributed across four bowed instruments, the music's inherent cosmic yearning is amplified, sustained, and intricately woven into a richer tapestry. The piece's gradual evolution and eventual dissolution mirror a journey of ego transcendence, culminating in the delicate, fragile highest harmonics of the upper instruments. The subtle scrape of horsehair on strings becomes more prominent than the actual notes, creating a sensation of gentle exhalation that re-anchors the listener in the physical realm.
While 'Shadow Symmetric' embraces a communal, dialogic interplay among musicians, the 'Clerestory Windows' suite leans towards a more introspective and personal reflection. Here, Reidy ventures into areas that might be described as sentimental or new-age. 'Windows I' reimagines the piece with nostalgic MIDI string sounds, while 'Windows II' features Reidy's 12-string acoustic folk performance set against the original harmonies, evoking the feeling of light entering a childhood attic. 'Windows III' utilizes a 1970s RMI synthesizer to intensify the subtle beating sensations of the intervals, elevating them to cinematic proportions. However, not all of Reidy's formal experiments consistently enhance the core effects of 'Clerestory.' 'Windows V,' for instance, introduces Afrobeat-inspired guitar polyrhythms, mathematically sequenced with Euclidean step patterns, which can sometimes be more puzzling than immersive. Nevertheless, the shifting instrumentation of the familiar harmonic swells consistently highlights how timbre and tone color profoundly influence perception.
The studies encapsulated within 'Clerestory' possess a certain detached quality, occasionally prompting a desire for a more viscerally challenging sensory experience. Yet, as writer Anne Carson articulates in an essay on mysticism, true artistic surrender to a greater force necessitates an engagement with one's own intuitions and perceptions. The album encourages listeners to connect with their personal viewpoints by presenting the interactions of the JACK Quartet through a series of distinct interpretations. This introspective process is akin to the careful tuning of an instrument, where minor adjustments lead to a cohesive and harmonious whole, fostering self-trust essential for both musicality and navigating life's challenges.