For today’s video premiere, we’re actually featuring a short film made up of a trilogy of videos for pieces by Rob Simonsen: “Spectre”, “Coeur”, and “Ondes”. This is an absolutely gorgeous piece of cinematography (one which you will want to watch on full screen), coupled with an enigmatic story, and just as powerful and mystifying score. It is one of those rare instances where the visuals remain abstract enough to let you craft your story, while tangible enough to keep you sensibly beside. The music for the film is nothing short of cinematic – featuring beautiful textures, pulsating rhythms, and gorgeous piano themes. This is not a total surprise since Simonsen’s career spawns s composition of many major films (including 500 Days Of Summer, Moneyball, and Life of Pi among the many) and Réveries happens to be his debut studio release, which is immediately picked up by Sony Masterworks, and when you’ll watch and listen you will gather why.
Inspired by his European surroundings, and emboldened by both his adventures with The Echo Society and his experiences with O’Halloran and his Berlin friends, RÊVERIES is the culmination of a lifetime of making music, a dream made a serene reality. There are nine dreams, in fact, and having given them the necessary time and space to arrive, Simonsen is now eager to share them. On this occasion, there’s no need to wait. As Simonsen knows, one’s mind is always eager to wander. The trick is just to let it…
I know that we’re focusing on the video here today, but I assure you that the entire album, which is already available as of September, is worth your precious time. Simonsen traverses a reverse trajectory – whereas most composers dream of scoring films, he’s now joining the ranks of favourite composers. It’s also worth mentioning that along with Benjamin Wynn (aka Deru) Rob co-founded the LA-based The Echo Society, a non-profit artist collective, sponsoring audio-visual performances and immersive interactive experiences. Really excited to add Réveries to my listening catalogue, and I’m sure you will be as well!
