author, angel
Author x Angel is a project which I recorded over the course of May and June in 2023,
at my parents’ house, while teaching full-time at a summer mentorship program. As a residential
advisor, I studied and lived with my students from 5:00PM until noon the next day, sleeping
overnight at the university in an on-campus suite. Each day, I would drive home and eat lunch
while recording in 4-5 hour sessions. I wrote extensive mixing notes while traveling after the
end of the program, isolated from the ability to record. The project was an exercise in developing
my instrumentation, and I tried to include a healthy degree of timbral diversity within each
arrangement to excite the listener and evoke the sense of a rich natural environment.
The songs themselves still feel amateurish in places––upbeat folk tunes which tell a fantasy-like
story of a local writer who is inspired by the visit of a mythological heiress––but the sort of DIY
orchestral flair is integral to the storytelling. Melodic motifs from some songs are scattered within
the transitions or introductions of others, so it’s almost self-referential. Instrumental sections allow
the narrative to breathe. It was my first time recording with a glockenspiel, an accordion, and
this many handheld percussion knicknacks, among other things.
I’m eternally grateful to my friend Conner, who mastered the record and provided additional
instrumentation and vocals for track four, “Found Me,” as well as to all of my friends who listened
along the way and helped me feel comfortable enough to share these tracks. Ben, Chevonne,
Logan, Jess, Matthew, and all. This was a super tough time in my life, and finishing the project
helped me establish a much-needed baseline for my work to come.
Note: Track two, “Permanently” is written after a Kenneth Koch poem of the same title.
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