Will Gardner’s debut album, “Remains,” shows us his immersive aural interpretation of Parkinson’s disease. This intensely personal and passionate instrumental is manifested in the album’s nine tracks. Each unravels a layer of the complex tapestry of memory, grief, and the haunting effects of dementia. The album symbolizes dementia by presenting memory slippages, disturbances, delusions, and paranoias against suitable sonic effects that represents how it feels like.
The opening track, “Incoherent Light,” garners a peaceful and transcendent meditative music overlaid with jittery noise. The eight-minute composition gradually evolves. The synth lines become more vivid and entangled with distorted sound effects. The result is an immersive and engaging sonic experience, mirroring the intricate nature of memory and its gradual dissolution.
Moving to the fourth track, “The Urge to Leave,” Gardner crafts an eerie and distorted texture that serves as the backdrop for a slow and morose string. As the composition progresses, the melodic elements become more pronounced against the immersive sonic backdrop. The piece effectively captures the emotional weight of the urge to depart, both from a physical and emotional standpoint.
The final track, “Remains,” unfolds as a piano-backed piece, with sonorous keys intertwining with atmospheric waves and indiscernible textures.
Will Gardner has been an arranger, orchestrator, and pianist to many artists like HMLTD and alt-J, and we are only now seeing his personality shine in his own collective, “Remains.” Check his debut album on Spotify to get a first-hand experience.
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Review By: Naomi Joan