“Paws on Ears” the 4th release of “Hot Spoon, Cold Mango,” an instrumental album that weaves an intricate tapestry of 18 pieces. This musical endeavor unfolds as a poignant poem, inviting listeners to close their eyes and embark on a journey of reverie. Each composition acts as a verse, contributing its unique meaning and dramatic conclusion, yet collectively forming a narrative through the interplay of melody, harmony, instruments, and moods.
Instrumental music, the most abstract of arts, inherently carries a dramatic essence. However, each composer imparts their own distinct storytelling approach. In “Paws on Ears,” what stands out is the narrative quality ingrained in each piece.
The musical style encompasses a fusion of genres, evident in tracks such as “A Beckoning Plea Of A Call For Bears” with electronic influences reminiscent of Vangelis. Meanwhile, pieces like “A Cows Stands Guard Protecting Their Llamas” lean towards ambient music tinged with minimalistic elements.
The diversity continues with “I Am Not Afraid Of You Penguins Anymore,” exuding a lounge vibe, and “Zoologist Leave For The Evening,” infused with a jazzy mood. Notably, “First Dance Of Eight Paws” and “She Said It Was A Duck” embrace a soft rock aesthetic, though not in texture but in rhythmic and harmonic progression.
The album masterfully navigates through these stylistic shifts, offering a seamless and pleasurable listening experience. The transitions are cleverly executed, ensuring a fluid journey through the diverse expressions of music without encountering any disruptions.
The accuracy of the track names is striking, collectively forming a modernistic poem when read consecutively. This naming approach evokes the spirit of poets like T.S. Eliot, Charles Baudelaire, and G.M. Hopkins.
As Hopkins beautifully articulates in his poem, the album invites us to ponder,
“Is there any any, is there none such, nowhere
known some, bow or brooch or braid or brace, lace, latch
or catch or key to keep
Back beauty, keep it, beauty, beauty, beauty, . . . from vanishing
Away?”
Let’s read the titles of the pieces within the album and enjoy the astonishing sentimentalism of it together:
“A beckoning plea of a call for bears
Amongst the roots of trees
A cows stands guard protecting their llama
Drooping of willow trees atop the burrow of rabbit
First dance of eight paws
Flower picking pink elepppppphants
Fly with me my lover fennec
Forgotten fables in dusty attics of abandoned buildings
Fox betrothed the cat
Grazing on mushrooms and sweet grass of morning dew meadows
I am not afraid of you penguins anymore
The lovely hippopotamus sings for her lover Europa Von Mouse
Rambling of regenerative rabbits
She said it was a duck
Sketching in a photogram of worlds
Walk to find trees
Withdrawing of claws
Zoologist leave for the evening.”
Incredible, it just makes me speechless. This collection of names, when contemplated, unveils an astonishingly poetic narrative. The same poetic essence permeates the compositions, elevating the album beyond mere classical storytelling to a poetic masterpiece that pierces the heart with a knife of emotions.
“Paws on Ears” is not just an album; it is an emotional Ulysses set to music, beckoning the listener to delve into its profound depths.