James Myhill – “Strange Flowers”

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Showcasing a gripping ambient soundscape, partly inspired by a dream of otherworldly planets with unique floral features, “Strange Flowers” is a memorable new track from James Myhill. The release is also a reflection on neurodiversity. “My son has profound autism and is by all accounts strange in his behaviours,” Myhill says. “The idea of something beautiful but very strange therefore encapsulated in the vision of a ‘strange flower.'”

Captivating in its thematic introspection and spacey immersion, “Strange Flowers” is a thorough display of the inventive and gripping atmospheric talents of Myhill, who recorded the track in his home studio, based in Tunbridge Wells, England. The production’s bass harmonics is amongst the standout features, as is the processing of an Irish bagpipe synth. The result, per Myhill, “really champions how simple harmonic base sounds can be chained into melodies, and nothing dominates too much throughout the piece, but space is left for the ideas to breath, including the strange sounding pipes synth.”

A pulsing, spaciously inviting entrancement takes hold as the track sets into motion. A buzzy momentum lingers amidst the dreamier, quaint elements, culminating in the gorgeous use of Irish bagpipe synth — invoking a reflective quality in its subdued beauty; visions arise of an unknown planet’s day and night shifts, and flowers appearing within the landscape. “Strange Flowers” consumes in its melodic evolution and thematic heart, cherishing uniqueness and the beautifully strange.

The track is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Obscure Ambient.

We discovered this release via MusoSoup.

Mike Mineo

I'm the founder/editor of Obscure Sound, which was formed in 2006. Previously, I wrote for PopMatters and Stylus Magazine.

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