Gregg Plummer, based in arty San Francisco, has been making ambient music for more than a decade. Most of what I've heard of his is seriously moody, much more for contemplation than any kind of driving action. His new album, "Invisible Bird," which is self-published, is definitely in the meditative mood category. "Invisible Bird" consists of ten medium-length (5 to 7 minutes long) sound picture pieces, each with an enigmatic abstract title that reveals little.

Plummer, at least in this album, does not stray beyond tonality. He builds his pieces from major and modal harmonies, with a couple of the tracks settling into pentatonic sequences. He can build a piece from just a few notes, which would qualify him as a "minimalist," but his textures are lush enough to amplify the minimal harmonies into a larger statement. In this he is similar to Tim Story, and this album does indeed remind me of Story's heartbroken style, especially the last track, "Goodbye for Now." Plummer may be one of the few composers I know who can evoke a sad mood with a major key. Like Tim Story, there is an implied narrative in these quiet, slow image-pieces, but the composer isn't telling you what it is.

In the later tracks, Plummer explores a more spacey atmosphere, including the lovely nebula-lighted Track 8, "Dreams and Visions," which would not be out of place in a planetarium. As for that "Invisible Bird," the title track (number 9) is the chilliest piece on the album. There isn't a lot of scary material on this CD, unlike the disturbing "They Await" on his previous album VAST. In fact, Plummer in a communication to his listeners has said that he removed an extremely scary piece from "Invisible" because it didn't fit. And he was right to do that. A quiet track is much more in keeping with the wan and wistful mood of this set. There's no clue for us listeners as to what the "Invisible Bird" might mean, though the equally minimal graphics for his album include a smudgey photograph of what might be a dove, with a single word: "Peace." It may or may not be a comment on the state of the world today.

You can listen to samples from this album online, and buy it if you like it, here.
And you can visit Gregg Plummer's website here.

Posted at 3:01 am | link