Eulogy Eulogy is a Canadian independent orchestra led by Devon Savas which has just released To Be True, an EP thematically created in memory of Savas’ late father. Their liner notes state: “Eulogy Eulogy extracts from an immense variety of influence a la post-rock, experimental jazz, dark folk, ambient textures, noise timbres and alternative shades, earnestly bridging a line between accessibility and ambiguity.” There are too many players to list, but among the instruments is your basic guitar-bass-piano-drums combo, bolstered by saxophones, trumpet and trombone, along with various players listed as “Drones” performing both vocally and on guitars.
To Be True was recorded, mixed and mastered at Gordon Wragg Recording Studios in Toronto. The tracks were engineered and mixed by Wayne Cochrane and mastered by Reuben Ghose. There are even field recordings captured on an iPhone 11. “Prelude” starts with gently picked acoustic and electric guitars playing a simple and pretty melody, then adds bass, percussion, and ultimately the horns step by step. At just two minutes, it’s a great way to familiarize us with the sound of the orchestra and to let the players stretch their legs, so to speak. The title track “To Be True” begins in a similar fashion with a tentative chord scheme begun on the guitars and bass as radio fragments float across the background. I love the moment when the band kicks in at hardcore volume with the whole group playing the “To Be True” theme together at high gear. “Dwindle” concludes the set with an epic ten-minute construction, and hearing it for the first time took me on quite a journey. The found sounds here are said to include “a variety of train stations” and they are sampled and repurposed in fascinating ways. Musically the track begins with another intriguing and melancholy piano theme, gently finding its way among whining echoes of feedback. The jazzy upright bass provides a solid frame for the composition, which slowly increases tempo as it continues. At the halfway point there’s an intense flowering of electronic drones, bringing us into space rock territory, bordering on industrial. It’s stark, frightening, and beautiful all at once. The finale is a Big Band Extravaganza with the piano theme and a lot of the sound effects all competing for a curtain call. This project made for fascinating listening, using familiar elements in ways I haven’t heard before. Recommended for those who prefer jazz that flirts with danger.
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