Unfurl (CD)

Between it's rippling beats, mellifluous guitars, poised piano and questing vocals, Unfurl does what it's title suggests: develops as if organically from Ry X's previous work, blossoming in delicate new directions while holding firm to it's roots. quot;I think my mission statement was simply to remain vulnerable and to capture that within this album,quot; says Ry. quot;The inspirations change each time, and I always want to allow that process to be free, to draw on new ideas and sounds and instrumentation. But what feels consistently important to me is keeping a sense of rawness and honesty in the work.quot; In order to preserve their subtle power, most of the songs were recorded live using analog equipment at an old east LA studio and in an airstream converted into a studio on his land in Topanga. That space proved to be the perfect environment for Ry to extend and expand on the searching thrust of his lyrics, a rich source of sparing potency on Dawn. As Ry puts it, Unfurl entwines quot;a lot of conversation with the self on deeper conceptual ideasquot; and a quot;hint of healthy existentialismquot; with themes of quot;sensuality and all that is beautiful.quot; It was, he says, quot;quite deeply a solo process. I am looking forward to opening up my process more as I grow. But I know I make the work most connects to my heart when I do it alone.quot;