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LP
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BNSD 064LP
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Montreal composer and cellist Justin Wright's sophomore album is an ode to the creative process, intricately stitched together from cassette loops, string improvisations, modular synthesizer patches, field recordings, and orchestral arrangements. While the cello remains a central engine behind many of the tracks, A Really Good Spot is a drastic departure from Justin's previous records. The transparent result, mixed by Pietro Amato (Bell Orchestre, The Luyas), intimately and honestly embraces the beautiful spontaneous moments, tribulations, and studio edits. A Really Good Spot is a celebration of process. Justin met Pulitzer-winning composer Caroline Shaw as he was experimenting with cassette loops during a residency at the Banff Centre. Shaw pushed him to apply for Princeton University's highly selective PhD program in composition with her recommendation, where he was accepted despite having no formal music education. At Princeton, Justin completed the album with instruction from composers such as Donnacha Dennehy, Steve Mackey, Dan Trueman, and Juri Seo. Over the winter of 2021, Justin was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer (prognosis: likely OK), adding another layer to the story of this album and leading to an earlier-than-expected release. Stemming from an eventful five years, A Really Good Spot presents an abstract exploration and appreciation for the processes of artistic and personal evolution, pushing boundaries while still maintaining an emotional and evocative sound. Co-release with First Terrace Records.
"When I first started writing tracks for A Really Good Spot, I didn't have much in mind other than wanting cello, wanting synthesizers, and feeling like I was long overdue for writing new material. But once I got started, I was having so much fun coming up with new methods for writing that I wondered: what if 'procedurality' could appear on a spectrum, just like dynamics or tempo? Why is process something we try to cover up? There is something that feels so dishonest about a pristine, polished album that fits together a little too perfectly, as if all the tribulations leading up to it are swept aside in the name of presentability. Of course, time is an enemy of simplicity, and what began as an attempt to bring process to the foreground turned into what the album is today: a surrealist spectrum of methodology, where the techniques showcased may or may not be real, where the orchestration confidently reinforces the most haphazard nonsense elements, and where the playfulness occasionally steps aside for moments of somber clarity." --Justin Wright
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