Signal Quest - Hypermyth (Orange Milk) [Nu-Jazz]
Multiple algorithmic failures almost resulted in me missing this cosmic jazz dispatch from Signal Quest (Cole Pulice, Lynn Avery & Mitch Stahlmann) via Orange Milk, which would have been a calamity, as it sounds like the 20th century's sax greats floating through the cosmos after departing this mortal coil; their cathartic freedom songs being spectrally analysed by curious extra-terrestrials, buffeted by turbulence from intergalactic starships & surfing waves of energy from distant exploding suns; finally free, yet searching, still searching.
What The Release Notes Say
Hypermyth opens suddenly with an enrapturing ambience of electronics, saxophone, and galactic clatter. We’ve fallen headfirst into Signal Quest's sonic palette, stepping through a flickering screen into wide open space filled with the blossoming collaboration between members Lynn Avery, Cole Pulice, and Mitch Stahlmann. Hypermyth is the trio’s second full release and their first under the moniker Signal Quest, shedding a placeholder acronym of their names, LCM, for a name engendering a more fitting ethos of their continued electro-acoustic forays.
Signal Quest began as a friendship and participation in the vibrant music scene of Minneapolis, MN before the three found their way west, landing in Oakland, CA. Their partnership extends to each other’s solo works – see Stahlmann’s electro-acoustic album “Into the Wish”, the tranquil digital watercolors on Avery’s project Iceblink, and Pulice’s astral saxophone works under their own name and as a duo with Avery. This latest release speaks to the synergy of each artist's input and a well developed language of improvisation developed individually and in union.
In their debut self-titled release, Signal Quest succeeded at creating a glowing ambience out of sprawling textures and playful patterns. Hypermyth builds on this original recipe and pushes their music into deeper water; the hues richer, more varied and dynamic. The album also takes palpable influence from the music of 90s video games, specifically the graphic adventure game Myst. Beyond the aesthetics, this music is inspired by the dynamic nature of the game’s soundtrack within the RPG domain, a digital narrative evoking pixelated roaming and introverted investigation across grand sonic landscapes teeming with surprises, curious dialogue, and imagined sprawl.
Signal Quest’s music and formation also participates in an ongoing brew of electronic music and improvisation that steeps in the Bay Area down to its bedrock, from institutions like Mills College, the San Francisco Tape Music Center, and ensembles like Sonic Arts Union. It joins a continuum of composers like Pauline Oliveros, John Bischoff, and David Behrman in pushing electro-acoustic improvisation into exciting new realms.
If you're digging this nu-jazz trip, then you should check out Lynn Avery & Cole Pulice's Phantasy & Reality album for Moon Glyph.
