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John Puchiele Ensemble — Alive
(Bandcamp no#, 2025, DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2025-06-14

Alive Cover art

Under most circumstances an album with a title like that would be used for a live performance — like Kiss’ Alive, for example — but this is no more a live performance than any of the Toronto based composer’s previous six albums, especially given that his ‘ensemble’ refers to his stack of keyboards, and not any grouping of musicians. In this case, the title Alive refers to Puchiele’s working through a long, harrowing illness and coming out alive on the other side after all was said and done. The opening track, “I’m Alive,” should also be a clue. With Alive, Puchiele offers a dreamy set of tunes that straddle the line between ethereal and minimalist, in fact on some of the tunes like “Ebb and Flow Reverie” or “Birds” one can hear elements of Philip Glass’ influence in strong evidence, though other pieces like the opener and “Beneath the Surface” touch on dreamier elements of the style. Throughout, the feeling is a peaceful immersion in a world of beautiful tonal colors and busy arpeggiations, nothing edgy, angular, or chaotic; the pace is gentle, smooth, warm and sublimely orchestral, a sound which any of his earlier albums would easily have predicted. The appropriately titled “Still” takes the sound into an almost floating ambient direction, and for the first half of the piece the level is barely above the threshold of hearing. A gentle acoustic guitar-like figure opens “The Wait” (either real, or software, the credits aren’t that granular) and follows through i’s entire four minute trajectory. The closer, “Never Say Goodbye,” reaches up from quiet mystery, taking shape as it goes from near floating ambient beginnings slowly moving into gentle orchestral realms. Some may find Alive to be too soft-focus for everyday listening, but after all that’s the point — it’s a powerful statement in musical decompression. Listen at the link below.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): John Puchiele

More info
http://johnpuchieleensemble.bandcamp.com/album/alive

 

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