Stephan Micus: Bold As Light

Gustav Mahler once said that bright sunlight can be terrifying. This is probably something that multi-instrumentalist Stephan Micus understands. His latest album, Bold as Light, is just as abundant in peaceful harmony as it is in passive-aggressive dissonance. Since Micus wrote and recorded every single note himself, you can count of the magic of overtones to bring his spontaneous pieces to full bloom. Instruments featured include a pipe made from bamboo called the raj nplaim and a Japanese flute called a nohkan. The structures of Micus’ pieces are rooted in the freedom of being created as they float along, making everything from “Rain” to “Seven Roses” drift like clouds. So perfectly tranquil is the outcome, it should be illegal to listen to Micus’ music while operating heavy machinery.