‘Headless’ by Carey Clayton is a sonic odyssey merging the ethereal with the earthbound. Right from the first track, it sucks one into a world where meditation and mindfulness are not mere concepts but lived, breathed, and musically articulated experiences. One would say it’s like diving into a pool of shimmering consciousness, only to find the water’s made of sound.
Lyrical explorations of self-dissolution and interconnectedness are anything but linear in this album. Songs lace lush synths with interlocking guitars, weaving a tapestry at once intimate and expansive. Intricate percussion can be likened to a heartbeat of a sentient forest; ethereal vocals hover above everything, nailing the listener down into an ever-changing audio environment.
Each song in and of itself is a meditation, with crystallizations of thoughts and feelings. Teamwork with many talented artists like Eric Derwallis, Sam Merrick, Kayla Starr, and others, contributes many textures and dimensions. It’s as if they brought an entire village into the recording studio, each bringing their own voice to the collective hum.
The artwork, developed with the Gonzalez brothers, is very exemplary in its approach to the themes at play. A reflective chrome helmet faces you right back, eerily smudging the divide between self and world, oneness, and the masses. It is almost as if the music and visuals are having a conversation; each reflects and diffracts off the other.
‘Headless’ is never shy of a gamble. One minute you are lost in some swirling psychedelia; the next, some hauntingly familiar guitar riff roots you. It’s an album that exacts your attention, rewards your patience, and sticks with you long after that final note fades away.
In a world where music mostly serves as background noise, ‘Headless’ seems to say that it’s precisely within those experiences which make one stop and listen, ceasing from all activities, that something much deeper is born.
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