Movies Is Magic

Klimek follows up his Dedications album with a return to Anticipate for another ambitious project. Movies is Magic deals both directly and peripherally with ideas of film music: its purpose, its meaning, its uses. Though the musicis furthered by the concepts underpinning it, it stands on its own two sonic feet with swathes and swells of cinematic, expansive melodies: from the bold to the understated, the shades of grey to the brightly direct, the string-laden tothe piano-driven - some with sprinkles of subtle percussion and others which run through the barest of themes in order to produce giant results. Movies is Magic renders itself as a comment on the idea of cinema sound whichbrings it into a present-day home listening experience that is more concerned with conjuring new images than accompanying existing ones. Resonating in myriad directions, the traces of its musical, conceptual and visualinspirations remain, haunting the complete work. This confluence of cultural influences and sound productions is an indication of where Movies is Magic takes both the listener and the artist behind the experience. Like anorchestra restructured in the digital domain, the remnants at the core of each piece lend themselves less to conservatory comparisons than filmic ones. Ambiences reside inside, but are never left untouched or undeveloped,subverting expectations and leaving trails of themselves long after each song ends. Large, picturesque settings produce emotionally compelling mini-narratives, while warm, open progressions balance with the multi-layeredshadows that are expected from a Klimek album. A careful percussive phrase, the occasional menacing horn, a tentatively sustained tone, or renching vocal murmur arrange these pieces between intersecting musical camps,while rustling backgrounds creep up to remind one where they stand. The material is the product of a variety of allegiances and alliances: from soundtracks to the range of electro-acoustic and electr[was]