Celer — Cursory Asperses
Celer, ambient project of Will Long, has had dozens of releases throughout the years, exploring a dream-like realm of faint glimmering resonances, slowly unfolding air textures and semi-melodic drones, generally resulting in a peaceful but somewhat melancholy state of embryonic stasis. I have enjoyed many of his recordings in the past.
Cursory Asperses was originally released on Slow Flow Rec in 2008, part of the original run of music from 2005-2009 when Celer was a husband/wife duo, before the death of Will's wife Danielle in 2009. This new re-issue on Room040 is apparently remastered, and indeed sounds bolder, clearer and more present than what I remember of most of Celer's releases from the time. I have never heard the original version of this release, though, as this project is one of the most prolific around, releasing five or more albums in a single year, and this particular release never crossed my path back in the day.
It is similar to Italian artist Oophoi in the sense of operating within the timbral realm of singing bowls and whistling wind. However, at least on this recording, it is less minimal, moving through many variations which seem charged with hints of melody, as if keyboard performances are occurring far in the distance, but only the faintest colourful echoes are heard. Surrealist titles like "A Soupçon of Self-doubt in a Pannus Cloud" match perfectly with this mood.
It is perfect music for sleeping, with the soft uniformity of its muted drones, but is never boring to focus on, either, as with its improvisatory nature, nothing exactly repeats. The sound is filled with a surprising amount of emotional content for being so heavily filtered and processed.
This record is certainly classic Celer, and this re-issue is a great way to hear it. This project has an undoubtedly original style, and despite the sheer number of releases created, I have never felt the quality suffered or that the music ceased to be interesting. It is all part of an ongoing, flowing train of thought emerging from Will's improvisatory process. The image it has painted is now massive in scale. As time goes on, I hope this project is recognized for its quality. For more info