Darsombra Transcend All Other Forms of Meditation with “Azimuth”

Have you ever had a dream you were so sure was real, that you almost didn’t believe you were awake when you finally woke up? Something so lucid, even with as vivid as it was, you had to take a second to distinguish between it and the true reality? Have you ever listened to something that made you see yourself in a whole different place? Somewhere far beyond imagination? Yeah, do me a favor – click ‘play‘ below:

Darsombra are a music duo from Maryland that I found during a search for something new and fresh about seven years ago. I was completely enveloped in their music then, and with today’s beautiful, fresh premiere, I am most certainly reinvigorated once again. Today, we are premiering none other than “Azimuth”, a 17 minute and 55 second journey of the mind and spirit into the cosmos of Brian Daniloski and Ann Everton’s wildest sonic ventures. If you followed proper instructions from the start of this article and have the track playing as you read, you are not only doing this correctly, but likely already being pleasantly taken away from this universe, and into one much more majestic.

As Brian points out, speaking on the structure and direction of the track:

‘“Azimuth” starts with the sound of putting a cassette tape into a tape deck and pushing the ‘play’ button, followed by a direct recording of about a minute of the original lockdown jam that served as the foundation of the song. From there, it evolves into one of our slow burn pieces that keeps methodically building on itself layer by layer. “Azimuth” is a mood. It’s a meditation. It’s a mini-odyssey. It goes all over the place without going very far at all–appropriate for inward or outward journeys.‘

‘Mini-odyssey‘ is probably one of the absolute best possible ways to put it, and many of the works of Darsombra, at that. The track is a progression in form; Beginning with sound effects, electronics, vocal chanting, and a droned guitar notes that feel as if you’re being pulled slowly through the gates of psych rock heaven. Ambient and inviting, it builds more and more into a desert-like atmosphere as it builds with bass, drum elements, and synthesizers, until you reach a pinnacle of surround-sound almost cinematic in nature. You almost forget that you’re 9 minutes into the song by the time you are – this one both slows and speeds time in a wizardly weaving of Einstein‘s Theory of Relativity.

I think that’s a quality of Darsombra that I’ve always recognized and admired most about them. They take lengthy songs and turn them into full-blown adventures for the listener. It’s so easy to get lost in their music and just feel good about the passage of time, to where you don’t even realize how much time is passing as you listen. Sure, call us all hippies if you will, but “Azimuth” is another chapter in the chronicle that has been and will be Darsombra‘s musical storytelling – beautifully told, no doubt!

Ann, on what makes “Azimuth” a true gem for familiar and new listeners:

‘“Azimuth” is the most characteristically Darsombra-sounding song on Dumesday Book: long format, leisurely stimulating build-up, interweaving guitar riffs and keyboard runs, and voice-as-instrument nonsensical vocals. We wrote this one around playing on the keyboard bender with the Alex Lifeson chord (F# major with the added 4th and the flat 7th if you’re curious–made famous on Rush‘s Hemispheres). Originally, we planned this to be a lazy 6 or 7 minute summertime joint, but it spiraled into an expansive meditation on the nature of staying in one place for a year and watching the angle of the sun (also known as the sun’s azimuth) change from our studio window. It’s a piece about the long haul, about the maintenance of the reality you build around yourself.‘

“Azimuth” is a hypnotic hymn that, by now, has likely sold you as a fan. If not? You need to hit replay, clearly. But if the magic has done its proper work; Congratulations! You are now a Darsombra fan, and once you finish reading this article, you will immediately go to their Bandcamp to pre-order Dumesday Book, follow them via Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up-to-date on all news and future endeavors, and hey, why not check out their official website, too?  Dumesday Book will be released via Pnictogen Records on August 25th! So waste no time hopping aboard the magic carpet ride to esoteric soundscapes, provided to you by the hands of Darsombra themselves!