Reverberations of a Stroke

In the early morning hours of Feb. 1, 2016, Karl Gustafson became instinctively aware that something catastrophic was happening inside him. A severe headache that had persisted for days had taken a sudden turn for the worse, and a clear inner voice ordered him to obtain immediate help. With determined effort, he tapped out the digits “9-1-1” on his phone—bringing an ambulance to his door quickly and saving his life. Emergency Room doctors would soon learn that Professor Gustafson, a renowned American mathematician, had suffered a deep brain hemorrhage, and that the situation was dire. By the time his condition was diagnosed, blood had pooled into all four ventricles of Gustafson’s brain and he was comatose.

In the early morning hours of Feb. 1, 2016, Karl Gustafson became instinctively aware that something catastrophic was happening inside him. A severe headache that had persisted for days had taken a sudden turn for the worse, and a clear inner voice ordered him to obtain immediate help. With determined effort, he tapped out the digits “9-1-1” on his phone—bringing an ambulance to his door quickly and saving his life. Emergency Room doctors would soon learn that Professor Gustafson, a renowned American mathematician, had suffered a deep brain hemorrhage, and that the situation was dire. By the time his condition was diagnosed, blood had pooled into all four ventricles of Gustafson’s brain and he was comatose.

It's in the intersidereal sweetnesses that begin this 2nd album of Bouvetoya. Foggy synth pads and ambient choirs stretch an astral tune with delicate intonations which break a possible dullness. Chords roam in these cosmic mists, reminding The Dark Side of the Moog IX, from the Namlook/Schulze tandem, which gets lost in the ambient fogs of Pink Floyd and of its Wish You Were Here. Other chords are grafted. They waddle stealthily and their ricochets dance with their shadows. The rhythm of "The Dawn of the Interplanetary Nation" is silhouetted with the most beautiful assets of the minimalist movements.