Daydreaming

Daydreaming is the stunning debut album from Seattle’s Rafael Anton Irisarri. Released to great critical acclaim, Daydreaming is a collection of piano-led instrumental compositions of astonishing beauty. This sounds like a record written for piano, but it also incorporates an array of modern sound sources in its production. As the drifting synthesizers lap around the feet of a majestic piano part in the album’s opening track “Waking Expectations,” it is startlingly clear that there is more to Irisarri than mere stereotyping. Rather, this is a carefully-constructed soundtrack to your most intriguing dreams, the dreams you might remember for a split second before losing everything, only to have images creep up on you some time later. Those of you left spellbound by Deaf Center’s haunting and beautiful Pale Ravine album will be pleased to know that Daydreaming continues in the tradition of murky, theatrical and deeply imaginative music. Lines of comparison can be drawn between Irisarri’s compositional approach and the work of artists as varied as Machinefabriek, Peter Broderick and Mogwai. This is rich, visual music showing a dark, melancholic side to American life and captured perfectly by an artist unafraid to bear his soul to the world. Daydreaming offers another chance to discover a highlight release from the Miasmah label’s earlier days. "Irisarri demonstrates his mastery of those strategically placed electronics, which are never too dominant in their presence, nor undermined by other sounds in the mix. For those already enchanted with this art form, this is a must acquire." - The Silent Ballet "Subtly restrained...an excellent companion." - The Wire "Irisarri creates music that can be both epic and subdued, with dreamy textures floating effortlessly and dissolving into one another...The listener can only bask in its shimmering beauty." - Angry Ape "A haunting collection of stunning dreamscapes...Irisarri assembles an incredibly consistent series of particularly elaborate and evocative ambient pieces which are likely to captivate for years to come." - The Milk Factory