Last Wave by Milieu

Recorded in Spring 2012, with field recording work completed in January, this strange new Milieu album sat in storage for a few months while I mentally processed what I had made. Containing a very short opening vignette and a forty-minute-plus suite of warm drones that abruptly transition to a melodic midtempo electronic flavor, Last Wave is a somewhat strange vehicle for the Milieu sound to fit into. After repeated listens it occurred to me that I essentially created a piece of music that is all about being comfortable. Happily going nearly nowhere. Considering the tenuous anticipation during the time of the recording session (my daughter Penelope was due very shortly after) I think Last Wave was a subconscious (or maybe not so subconscious after all) attempt at building the most accommodating, familiar and easy-on-the-ear atmosphere possible. Taking musical cues from my Eufloria soundtrack works, Last Wave bubbles along on a bed of hospital field recordings made during ultrasounds, with thick layers of synthesized chords radiating up, like the wavy heat on a hot Summer street. By the time you pass the half-hour mark, you're plucked up out of the warmth and dropped into a slowly bouncing field of colorful balloons, with a gently propulsive drum machine moving things along while melodies cascade up and down and all around. As it happens, my daughter seemed to really enjoy listening to this record, and so perhaps it had to wait for her to arrive before it made sense to release it.

Tracklist

1.	Last Waves	2:23

2.	Last Wave	47:00

Credits

released October 11, 2012

W/P by Brian Grainger. Recorded Spring 2012 at Botany Bay. This is Milieu Music number MML088.

License