Upon hearing the opening strains of Songs for Eventide, the new album from Visible Light, listeners may immediately feel this music is the perfect antidote to the chaos of 2025. Undeniably calming and sonically rich, Amy McNally and Matthew Hiram use a variety of instrumentation through five songs that “trace the arc of transformation from spring’s birth to winter’s breath”, according to the artists. “Each piece emerges from within natural soundscapes, following pollinators in flight, patterns of leaf fall, and hidden tree languages.”
They achieve this through McNally’s cello and Hiram’s flute, synthesizer, bowls, and field recordings. Over the past couple of years, they’ve developed a collaborative practice rooted in place-based sound, with outdoor listening events that have cemented their reputation as pioneers in nature-based music. The synthesizers that rise at the beginning of “Bloom to Bloom” suggest a gentle, awakening giant, accompanied by melodic flute and droning cello. It does sound uncannily like nature set to music, even though the field recordings are slight to nonexistent at this stage of the album.
“Purple Prairie”, however, puts the listener front and center among nature, with birds and the soft hum of the outdoors coming to life before McNally’s cello combines with synthesizers and flute to create a warm, all-encompassing drone. The record’s longest track, “Losing Leaves”, initially comes off as more mysterious than immediately inviting—a stark soundscape with cello and flute in a truly minimalist atmosphere that seems slightly foreboding in contrast to the previous tracks, possibly giving voice to the vast scope of nature.
“Boreal Shift” puts the field recordings back to the forefront, wind and rain gently accompanying McNally and Hiram’s instrumentation, and the brief album closer “Cabin Song” caps off the record with a moving and elegant showcase for McNally’s stunning cello work. While opinions may vary on the most effective way to combine the power of music with the enormity of the outdoors, Amy McNally and Matthew Hiram have come as close to cracking the code as anyone could. This is music that breathes life, offers hope, and provides solace.