Some albums evoke a specific time and place, others create one of their own makings. BK Pepper’s Territories is such a record. Deftly sprawling out of the speakers, the cinematic projected flicker of the music constructs remote, unoccupied landscapes from its ambient foundations.
A record born out of subtly, Territories opens with the slow-burn build of ‘Alerts.’ Fading into focus, the track introduces the over-arching sonic vista of Territories via gentle piano, pulsing backdrops and impactful strings as well as the textural undercurrent that flows and changes throughout.
Not resting upon its own sense of ambience, Territories is an album that knows how to shift dynamically within its milieu. From the tense strings of ‘Tilt’ to the washing repose of ‘Bridges, and back to the glitching foreground of ‘Nations’, BK Pepper’s builds a soundscape with defined peaks and troughs. These tidal changes add to the record’s overall sense of drama.
However, it is ‘Colours’ that steals the limelight. Cast against a widescreen sound, the soft piano melodies that eventually give way to a lush tapestry of strings dance throughout the song, pausing and playing out across the cinematic feel of the music itself—a highlight in an album populated by them.
And so it goes, Territories is doesn’t evoke memory but imagination. Its the type of album where the listener creates their own cinema, their own movie, their own images to play over it. Its the score to a film, just not one that exists on celluloid.
Wonderful album!
It is a beautiful sensory experience, a full immersion that gives joy, introspection and curiosity.