A crucial testament to Franklin\u2019s compositional voice is his ability to unify the diverse approaches on this collection in a way that articulates a sum greater than its parts, and he does so without undercutting or circumventing the properties of those very approaches and methods. This is certainly no easy task when a composer as nimble as Franklin has so many creative tools at their disposal. Yet from the outset, with the raspy glitch-tones and feedback in the opening minute of “Mirage”, one hears a focused musical line \u2013 a trembling surface, always on the verge of dissolution and decay, yet surging forward with improvisatory spontaneity. “Programma”, the companion piece to “Mirage” appearing several tracks later, takes on a similar character; bubbling noise is paired with shimmering high frequencies and feedback. As these layers unfold, one gets the sense that the music is in no hurry at all; the movement and variation feels internal, with erratic micro-fluctuations of dynamics and texture within the layers. This is music immersed in a mood and transfixed on continuous, subtle change upon that mood.<\/p>\n

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Echoing cascades that re-contextualize the original sounds<\/h3>\n

The key ingredient to this sort of coherence is in Franklin\u2019s use of thematic narrative. Francis Bacon\u2019s philosophy of the four idols of the mind categorizes fallacies in mental processing that stand in the way of human thought. The musical references are subtle and non-programmatic, yet there are enough connections offered up such that a listener may feel grounded in an otherwise abstract sonic landscape. “Reconstruct”, a two-part work that frames the album, uses the deconstruction and subsequent electronic reconstruction of struck glasses as a metaphor for Idols of Theater \u2013 blockades of thought that, according to Bacon, must be purged from and replaced within the human mind. Here, pure tones of crystal glasses are transformed into low, metallic \u201cgongs\u201d and high, jangling \u201cbells\u201d. The sounds are disassembled then spliced together and juxtaposed to create echoing cascades that re-contextualize the original sounds in striking ways. The electronic treatments of the familiar acoustic sounds feel subtle and purposeful; they do not bring unnecessary attention to themselves but instead blend into the integral, unfolding form of the work.<\/p>\n