How Drie A Cinder [CD]

In his 1611 elegy An Anatomy of the World, Elizabethan poet John Donne ponders the frailty of life. "How drie a Cinder this world is," he writes, illuminating how easily the flames of tragedy can consume us whole, change us irreversibly. Be it loss, internal revelation, or simply the passage of time, these moments of transformation visit us all. From this poem, comes the title of Beacon's fifth album. How drie a Cinder captures the Brooklyn duo of Jacob Gossett and Thomas Mullarney III at a high point of clarity and potency in their 15-year career, after emerging from their own transformations. "The majority of the album was written in the wake of my long-term partnership ending," Thomas explains, "which forced not just change but metamorphosis-living as the same person was simply no longer possible." Beacon explores personal evolution in ways ranging from delicate and introspective to physical and dramatic. Lead single "Cinder" sets the tone early: On top of high-energy dancefloor shuffle and swelling synth chords, Thomas evokes the visceral nature of life-altering decisions. "Like the warrior," he sings almost in a whisper, "A knife behind my back. There's something I could change." The music crescendos into a flood of neon and halogen before it's seamless transition into the otherworldly 2-Step of "Giving You Up." Here, distant vocal cries and hushed harmonies embellish the sparse instrumentation like lace, as Thomas wrestles with the intangibilities of destruction: "Light it all on fire. Ineffable, but I'll try." Alongside each varied thematic approach, the music of How Drie a Cinder feels like a transportive night out on the dancefloor. Tracks like the hard-hitting "See Your Face" and "Sun Dark, New Year" deliver Beacon's distinct take on big room techno, while "The Nightjar" explores dubby halftime rhythms and "Shore Leave" offers an intimate yet bubbly R&B comedown. The album's prominent driving force is somehow both disarmingly dynamic and remarkably cohesive, which is owed to the time and care that went into it's creation. "This record spans years and countless demos," Jacob explains. "But in the discovery phase, I tend to work as fast as possible. I think that level of spontaneity carried over, creating a record that really leans into it's kinetic impulse." Beacon's patient, open-ended creative process uncovered the juxtaposition of irresistible body music and soulful prose that is at the core of How drie a Cinder. "Making a Beacon record is a long and arduous process," Jacob says. "Ideas might start independently, but it's in the studio where we fully develop the tracks that make the record." Resampling and shapeshifting Thomas's graceful croon into layers of harmony; harnessing the off-handed character of a practice performance for a track feature; frenetic drum patterns reworked into old demos-all elements crafted over years of experimentation, focus, rest, and transformation.