timmie - aura

Timmie 

Aura
self-released; 2013

3.8 out of 5

By Ethan Skeleton

Aura may have been recorded on a $20 app, but it sings, ladies and gentlemen. A 49-key midi controller can be thanked for teaching our album’s hero to grace the piano with such a unique approach. Aura touches on the moments that we always hold on to, times that we knew we’d miss as they passed before our eyes. These are songs of heartache and betrayal, songs of reckless joy and everything in between.

Aura sounds like an atmospheric soundtrack with chill and trippy vibes. It's very laid back and smooth; it’s like witnessing a very stoned dance party when the celestial soundscapes expand. Everything on the album is original and nothing was sampled. That is very impressive and I applaud that level of accountability in music. Aura's best quality is the trance like state you fall into listening to it, all eight tracks really flow cohesively together. There’s a time and place for instrumental music and it’s not all that often for most of us. But when the time does come – and you have something like Aura to reflect upon – you’ll sit back and be proud of your taste.

I personally get a kick out of being taken on a journey with a song. Have it ease in gently and coax you into a mind-altering phase where really the only thing that matters is what you’ll hear next. It’s as if you’ve become directed by the tones and timbres to move your consciousness outside of your surroundings. “Silver” is a staple piece in this sense; it’s like soft kisses to the ear. “Ponder in the Ethereal Orbit” paints such a distinct image. The title is a statement that could easily be imagined through listening. Moods are sweetly churned with light and floating melodies that drift like precious rain falling to unsettled ground.

“Fog Portals” takes place in a dreamy mix of strings and ballooning padded chords. It all reverberates off the sonic eaves of some kind of surreal forestation. “Jade” has a little Lorde vibe to it, but not enough to catch yourself missing “Royals.” The minimalism works well having still a bodied trigger sound to the beats. If I’m correct, “O – MIND Stars” from his last album started out with trombone? It’s a curve ball in the instrumentation that seems to have been honored on “Feels Like I’m Floatin’ Through Gravity.” The hollowed out objects of percussion definitely strike a chord with non-traditional dance fodder.

In my mind, this album would go great with a pipe of something, a picnic on the lake, and nothing to do. Nothing to do, but get lost in calm and cool song. Don’t let me be the one that told you so. Timmie is worth some serious time. Your ears, but more importantly, your mind will expand from the power this album has on opening the channels.

youtube