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Craig Padilla & Marvin Allen — Unfolding Skies
(Spotted Peccary SPM-9110, 2026, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-03-26

Unfolding Skies Cover art

I first heard California composer and synthesist Craig Padilla on his 2002 release Folding Space and Melting Galaxies, and even at that point he already had around a dozen recordings out that I had never heard, going all the way back to the early 90s. All along the way he has often collaborated with other like-minded travelers like Skip Murphy, Paul Ellis, the late Zero Ohms (Richard Roberts), Howard Givens, and producer, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist Marvin Allen; to date Allen and Padilla have collaborated on four Spotted Peccary label recordings, Toward the Horizon (2019), Strange Gravity (2021), Weathering the Storm (2023) and the album at hand, Unfolding Skies (2026). All of these collaborations have featured the ‘Umbrella Girl’ in the artwork, a representation of people trying to find their way of existence in the chaos of a troubled world. The seven tracks at hand are all collaborative compositions featuring Padilla on synths, sequencers, and drum programs, and Allen on effected guitars and eBow. A typical construct will have Padilla building a score of sequences and synth structires as a backdrop for Allen’s elastic guitar trajectories that wind in and out of Padilla’s flowing electronic fabric. The program consist of two epic length cuts bookending five relatively shorter pieces; the opening salvo, “Framework,” takes the listener on an experiential journey over its twelve-minute duration, starting in a very gentle zone but building a solid rock-informed fortitude as it proceeds forward, first with a powerful hand drum cadence as Allen’s snarly guitar musings cut through the swirling chaos. I am sometimes reminded of some early Steve Tibbetts pieces “Test” or “Name Everything.” This is definitely headphone music! At the other end, the title track closes the set with a bit more melodic flair, perhaps reminiscent of the 70s work of the late, great Vangelis, again building slowly over numerous sections on the way to its thirteen-and-a-half minute conclusion. Other tracks of special note include “Jammin’ with Buddha” where Allen builds an environment on guitar while Padilla follows his leading path; with “Architects of Time,” a sequenced phrase propels the listener forward while effected guitar threads build to a powerful climax, while the dreamy “Cosmic Blueprint” melts your mind in the canyons of space. While Unfolding Skies delivers well on the promises of their first three recordings, Padilla and Allen have only begun to explore the possibilities.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Craig Padilla

More info
http://padilla-allen.bandcamp.com/album/unfolding-skies

 

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