marcus evans - dreaming

Marcus Evans

Dreaming
self-released; 2013

3.1 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Marcus Evans is the circus leader behind the project Illimitable Abstract that recently released an EP entitled Dreaming. The closest reference to the music they make is Windy and Carl except not as lush and a lot more lo-fi sounding. Evans attempts to create hypnotic sounding ethereal soundscapes with a couple of clean guitars and reverb. More often than not the guitars sound as if they were plugged directly into the board making them sound thin and frail. Evans does occasionally sing on this EP in a low monotone voice that mixes in well with the dreamy atmosphere although good luck in trying to figure out what he is actually saying.

The EP opens up with “Serenity,” which consists of mostly reverb and a guitar riff that never changes. It is a good track perhaps to put on repeat before you fall asleep. You notice the sub-par production on “Dream On” as the guitar plays a chord progression. Evans’ voice and the second guitar lead eventually fill up some of the empty space that surrounds the song. “Keep Me In Your Heart” is the first track that introduces some percussion into the mix. A little after a minute in you hear a steady kick drum that doesn't mesh well with the dreamy atmosphere. Instead of a rounded low end kick drum it resides in mostly high frequencies, which make it feel separated from the rest of the song. 

“Traveling” is perhaps the highlight of the EP but the implementation of the percussion still feels jarring. The track does have the most energy out of all the songs and had arguably the most creative guitar work on the EP. Evans closes the EP with “Amiss” that revolves around a hypnotic guitar and his unique talking/singing style which is unintelligible.

Atmospheric music like this relies on subtleties, nuances and an attention to detail. The recordings here ultimately cannot maintain my suspension of disbelief because the production makes me think of guy recording directly into his computer rather than the ethereal landscapes they are meant to be. Hope is not lost for Evans because he does have some good ideas but the implementation is off. Some practice in studio and more knowledge of production techniques could vastly improve his future releases. 

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