By JOHN DALY
Patrick Grant’s album, A Sequence of Waves is appropriately titled as the listener is bombarded with all types of soundwaves for a series of 13 songs.
It is hardly rock. It’s not new wave, nor is it electro or hip-hop or any particular style of music. It is a collection of symphonic, wordless songs that convey a range of emotion packed neatly into a convenient delivery. And, oddly, amidst the studied random approach, there is something peaceful about this quasi-chaotic production of instrumental music.
What’s In a Name?
With enticing names and elegant execution, Grant’s work is a combination of the best of all genres rolled into one captivating and joyous collection.
Songs Communicate Without Words
The songs don’t have words, but that’s not to say they don’t each have something important to say. There is yearning, protest, love and wonder in this collection of eclectic tunes.
In “Seven Years At Sea” the listener can practically hear someone calling out across a barren ocean — calling out to no one — and it is as lonely as you would expect. Then there’s “Lonely Ride Coney Island,” that puts the listener on a slow-moving ferris wheel and “Primary Blues,” a bold and serious approach. But these tunes are each at once fascinating and mystifying in their exacting approach.
One would never have believed a song called “Alcohol” could be so compelling. The listener can hear the creeping danger in the song “Tobacco” and as to be expected the song “Firearms” is truly explosive and helter skelter. It’s humorous that the three songs follow each other in order on the album.
Awards and Accolades for Grant
Grant has a multitude of accolades and awards. He is a multiple recipient of the ASCAP Plus Award, he’s a Detroit Music Awards nominee and he created scores for legendary theater and dance companies. Grant is also a member of Robert Fripp’s Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists for five years and he’s a professor at the NYU Film School.
Obviously this professor can teach us all a thing or two about communicating in a world so driven by self-centered writings and ego-enhancing endeavors.
Members/Instruments:
Patrick Grant: guitar, bass, viola, piano, keyboards and percussion
John Ferrari: drums, mallet instruments and percussion
Nick Didkovsky: guitar solo on “Primary Blues”
Dan Cooper: 7-string electric bass
Lynn Bechtold: violin
Dan Barrett: cello
Production: Patrick Grant