Artist: Abstract Eon
Album: El Planet Azul
Label: Independent/Unsigned
Released: 5/3/2023
Country: Cuesta Blanca, Argentina
Written by: Aaron Michael Kobes
Abstract Eon is an artist of unique talent in that you are never quite sure what the detailings of the next sonic adventure will bring about. What you can expect however, is something wholly unique and encompassing of the Abstract Eon sound- an admixture of melancholy, foreboding and contemplation with a touch of the ethereal. This is the same whether it is an EP encompassing a Post-Punk element or a release that touches on Stoner Rock. It is incredibly strange and yet, somehow Abstract Eon pulls it off in such a manner that is more of a signature undersigning a testimonial of all that preceded it as his own, rather than emboldened effacement of the work in a desperate attempt at cementing a signature sound.With its feeling of one elongated track El Planet Azul is no different, pleasantly strange, remarkably different and singularly Abstract Eon.
Beginning the EP is the track Atlas Cumbres, an ironically prospective reflection of the EP to come. It is slow and constantly developing through its progression utilizing the same chords found throughout the bulk of the EP. It is a development that feels sluggish and at points languid, but to great effect as there are moments where small chirpings of synth escape from the ethereal shell as fleeting buddings of growth like floral shoots in the spring from the decomposition of the prior year’s decay. There is enough in these sonic motions, in addition to them being masterfully paced, to draw the listener in, rather than bore them with moments of stagnation that some ambient tracks and releases suffer from. This stagnant effect is additionally subdued when, halfway through the track we are treated to a beautifully jarring, yet equally complementary and signature Abstract Eon guitar working that develops that pulls Atlas Cumbres from the meditative into the contemplative, rousing more engagement from the listener. Not long after this we are given another Abstract Eon signature, the experiment of relational and seemingly non-relative sound in the packaged form of a modulated voice giving a half hymn-half benediction in Gastón’s-the singular entity behind Abstract Eon, native tongue, whilst a piano gives trickling measures of chords that seemingly flow away from the spoken verse. Atlas then ends in an ambient wind down, fading the elements of the track out until there is simply white noise.
Morte eterna, in gloriam vivas
Morte ave, in gloriam amen
Gloria Eterna
Deseos de bonanza en este preambulo envio a quien escuche
Desde altas montañas vuelan las palabras en el viento
Como gotas de cristal se posa el rocio de la mañana
En el verde prado de flores y arbustos, nuestro jardin
The titular track follows next by way of the connective tissue in the white noise left from in Atlas. From the outset we are given all of the elements of the prior track, rearranged and adjusted to be singular in intent. In addition to this there is the continuation of, what I would call the central melody, and given the translated lyrics (Alabado seas Padre Sol-Praise you Father Sun) of El Planet Azul, it would be a safe assumption that there is a bodily rotation or orbit of sorts about the melody as a sort ritualized allegory, made all the more clearer when given the literal praise of Aleluya within the titular track. This sense is heightened by the focus on the word and the stark clarity and beauty given to it within El Planet, creating a wellspring of felt inspiration musically as the artist no doubt feels naturally-that is within nature. Adding to this impact is the inclusion of a fluted synth with heavier ended stringed synths to create a sense of depth that plays opposite ends of the spectrum to underpin not only the softness of the voice, but emphasize a certain fragility that could be taken to mean several different things when viewing the project within a context of Man’s relationship with Nature (given the reverential lyrical content); of which, I believe, is best left to the listener to reach their own conclusions.
Playas Doradas, or Golden Beaches is the next track, making its transition from El planeta Azul. With rain closing out the preceding track, this transition is then seamlessly turned into a washing, ebb and flow feel of the lazy lapping of waves. Smoothly drawn out of the transition is a resurgence of the central melody, slightly altered on a delay with the accompaniment of tambourine that subtly replaced the lapping cadence previously held by ambient textures. We also have a return of the modulated voice that seems almost alien when compared to the sublime delivery of the previous track. This may well be the point given the lyrical content of isolation and seeming colossal expanse of both desert and sea and their own seemingly incongruous similarity of being so dissimilar in actuality, yet theoretically the same when viewed by Man.
La distancia y la soledad
Se me aquerenciaron
Viajando por la inmensidad
Del desierto que llega al mar
Para ver
Más allá
Has de ser
Como el mar
Closing out the EP is Tiempo de Cosecha, a methodical ending that sets up a looping, or return to Atlas Combres. Though concerning itself with the purging nature of fire, Tiempo de Cosecha remains a largely restrained track that moves inexorably toward, what would be in keeping metaphorically, a homily on how time creates a fire in the world that turns memories to smoke after rending what created those memories in flames. This is not as damning as it sounds, really anything but a simple statement of fact, pessimistic though it may appear. The continuation of the melody that has been consistent, albeit in different forms throughout, still remains prevalent here, but altered more severely and disjointedly a sort of deconstructed and piecemeal offering which is set to reflect the tonality of the subject matter. This creates a secondary orbit in the allegory of the melody, that consists of the rotation or orbit of the seasons, and the cyclical nature of death and rebirth, with the difference being Man getting lost in the shuffle as there is an “other” to account for in the consciousness, hence the isolated feeling of the enlarged swathes of seeming nothingness in the ocean and desert when compared to habitability. The constant in all of this, like in the EP is the course of nature, or melody- through variations of seasons-track, and fluctuations of over elongated stretches of time that see larger despondencies within those natural variations- the seemingly jarring aspects of particular tracks that end up fitting in the end. El Plantea Azul is simply an eloquent piece of work that expresses a complexity and uniqueness all its own, much of which I could have quite easily misinterpreted or plainly gotten wrong. In spite of this however, the fact remains that allegory or no, Avant Garde exploration into relation self and nature or not, El Plantea Azul is a piece begging to be listened to and rightly so. It is an experience that is moving without being forceful or demanding yet remains all the more powerful for having that stirring effect through restraint.Be righteous by listening to and supporting Abstract Eon on Bandcamp: https://abstracteon.bandcamp.com/album/el-planeta-azul
