Orbiteer

The character of Jeff Suthers's songs has been cinematic in nature going back to his time with Volplane. This, the first of four new Orbiteer releases, has Suthers using sound like a painter uses oils and acrylic, similar to Stan Brakhage's manipulation of film and the way Kenneth Anger utilized...

By Tom Murphy

February 18, 2010

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The character of Jeff Suthers's songs has been cinematic in nature going back to his time with Volplane. This, the first of four new Orbiteer releases, has Suthers using sound like a painter uses oils and acrylic, similar to Stan Brakhage's manipulation of film and the way Kenneth Anger utilized cinematic imagery. Each track employs loops and other recurring themes to weave a larger musical narrative, both hypnotic and transporting. Orbiteer adds to that tradition by merging the aesthetic of inner and outer space travel, akin to minimalist ambient artists on the Kranky imprint. Capturing the essence of the images and patterns that come unbidden when you close your eyes and empty your mind of concrete visuals, this is not merely ambient music, but an aural interpretation of direct communication with the subconscious.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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Twitter: @simianthinker