Matt Evans loves creating musical landscapes that seem mysterious but are imbued with a sound that’s curious and welcoming. The New York-based drummer, composer, and experimentalist mixed warm, unique melodies against synths and percussion on records like New Topographics (2020) and Soft Science (2022), and created calmer, more ambient soundscapes on touchless (2021) has once again offered alien musical shapes of light and shade, with melodies and chops that are at times cacophonous and other times sparse and reflective.
Daydream Observatory offers ten eclectic tracks of synths and drums that Evans refers to on his Bandcamp page as “zone poems”. While Evans handles a variety of synthesizers and an arsenal of electric and acoustic percussion (including, according to the liner notes, a glass of seltzer and a clam shell filled with sand), he’s also joined by Chris Ryan Williams on trumpet, Domenica Fossati on flute, Marta Tiesenga on tenor saxophone, Lia Ohyang Rusli on noise and feedback, Nyokabi Kariuki on kalimba, Jennae Santos on vocals, and Anthony Vine on guitar. These additional musicians provide just the right accents for Evans’ mesmerizing pieces.
The performances of the guest artists have been meticulously recorded, edited, and re-sequenced to create what’s referred to on the album’s Bandcamp as “a kind of soundscape bonsai”. Opening with the meditative drone of “For Oyster”, a bright sequence of notes eventually appears, and Santos’ voice memo recording provides a mysterious “ghost” effect throughout. Things begin to take on a slightly dizzying effect with the highly percussive “Wine Shop Discount RPG”, as Evans’ unrepentant grooves live comfortably alongside lush synth chords.
While the gentle aquatic sounds on “Sword of the Sun” recall the similarly themed touchless album, the following track, “Stone Eater”, is an absolute beast of noise and clatter, essentially a drum machine that appears on the surface to have run totally amok, until repeated listens reveal a wonderful, puzzle-like pattern. However, many of the best moments on Daydream Observatory are those where the overall feel of the songs shifts regularly and beautifully combines disparate sounds.
“Dirt Fish” may employ plenty of Evans’ exotic percussion environments, but it often hovers over vast, sustained chords. The rich techno-synth chord sequences that form the spine of “A Nautiloid Spiral Shell” are nicely tempered by Tiesenga’s saxophone bursts, creating a slightly off-kilter vibe that tucks itself comfortably into your brain.
Daydream Observatory ends on a meditative note, with the key instrument on “In Parched Light” sounding like Vine’s guitar, repeatedly playing a bell-like chord as synths twinkle and the ever-present percussion fills roll along. That bell-like sound could represent a Buddhist instrument of reflection, bringing a quiet, mind-clearing close to the album. It’s fitting. Evans takes listeners on a sort of all-encompassing journey that includes light, darkness, quiet, and loudness. It’s less a traditional album and more of a holistic experience, deserving of deep contemplation.