Australian Artist Hayden Calnin Crafts a Transformative Soundscape with “All Kinds of Light”
Australia's Hayden Calnin obliterates genre lines with his ethereal new album, All Kinds Of Light. These acoustic melodies combined with ambient, nuanced electronic instrumentation work side-by-side with his haunting vocals on this new collection of ethereally vulnerable songs from the Melbourne-based indie folk virtuoso.
Palette: A hue sparked by a momentous trip to Colombia in the year 2023, Calnin traces his way through the entwined maze of light. He literally went up into the mountains themselves to find this stillness, and in doing so created such an authentic reflection of the mountain environment -- chimes, flutes birdsong chirping alongside crackling flames. It's this organic, touchstone feel that makes these two samples feel solid and grounded, yet still out of this world.
Kicking off with “Greetings at Majuy,” Calnin delivers an instant kick in to the heart from the raw beauty of the Colombian landscape. A "Lotus Valley" opens, an audible entry point of sorts as bright melodies swirl around the aether in effects that are not unlike the breaking light of dawn over the Andes. This is the piece that commands you to get out of bed, demanding you pack up for what lies ahead.
Shifting into “Majuy”, the record embraces a more introspective mode. It is in this moment that Calnin's voice is front and center, the sound of his vocals being as ethereal as ever, reaching into the deep corners of oneself. With a meditative tone, she sings of rebirth and the release from our earthly troubles emphasized ever so slightly by natural sounds emulating the peace of the hills. Layered textures of the guitar and electronic soundscapes juxtapose a familiar and intimate sound world with something conspicuously larger.
Luminous centerpiece "All These Kinds Of Light." The dreamy, cinematic production of the track forms a world where every note feels thoughtfully positioned and simultaneously, freely floating. Here, Calnin wonders about connection and the infectious, awe-inspiring untouchability present in that moment when light plays with affection. The fragile sonic building—slinky keys on top of organic percussion—that culminates as assuredly as it sneaks up is a study in the tension of surprise.
“As Above, So Below” on the other hand is more active from start to finish. The wonky synths clash against booming drums, contrasting the celestial with a rhythm firmly underground. The heavenly hook stands as a constant in the sea of spinning instrumentation, showing where Calnin finds the balance between complexity and accessibility. It's a song that captures the paradox of life itself and dances effortlessly between the tangible and the cosmic.
With an interesting break from the vocal emphasis, the instrumental piece "La Peña de Juaica" is a mesmerizing homage to its namesake mountain. Wordlessly, Calnin achieves to communicate the enigma and grandeur of these landscapes within wide reaching melodies and ethereal layers. There is a sort of lightly lit track that escorts listeners into a very spiritual gauzy wash akin to viewing a constellation studded night sky unobstructed by city glare. The songs take us on a journey of sound that ranges from highs to lows, and manage to convey emotions which words often fall short of.
Also another vocal song, “Lake Tota” provides wonderful melodies overlaid on gentle arrangements. It really closes the album on a suitably epic note, reflective and evocative of how time changes and also nothing ever changes in life. His lyrics are introspective, his environment subtly incorporated with everything from surf to cars and crickets—in a sense of place that is both particular and general. The instrumentation gently ebbs and flows like the lapping of water against the shores of the lake, washing over listeners in a tranquil yet introspective sensibility.
The tracks “Mornings in Tabio” and its follow-up, “Midnights in Tabio II,” crystallize the album’s thematic apex. The latter depicts the elation and optimism of a new awakening, a glimmer of light inside one's eyes starting to flicker alive. The latter is a revisitation of the former, possessing all of these songs and themes but filled out with a slightly fuller pallette and much more expanded instrumentation. Together, they represent a passing through the crucible and returning to a core identity. The repetition of themes between the two tracks establishes a common thread that links and weaves the album.
On "All Kinds Of Light", Calnin isn't just delivering music; he's creating an environment. The way he uses these natural sourced samples as not just an ornamentation but also a crucial part of the music is a reimagining behind each track. The album, a sonic journal of his Colombian sojourn — each song a page filled with his reflections on personal growth, the mysteries of light and the interconnectedness of all things.
Sonically, the concept of this album feels something like a compromise between two worlds and Calnin has merged different styles brilliantly. An indie folk base is amplified by some Americana charm, and soft rock tendencies as ambient and electronic touches provide a modern edge. In the end, it all just meshes so well together: it is an evolution of his sound that feels natural and representative of who Stan is as an artist.
The epicenter of transformation: That is what "All Kinds Of Light" represents, more than any other collection of songs. In this poetic, intimate interpretation of the world as he sees it, Calnin shares the awe that arises from diving into uncertainty. In Colombia he traveled through was not just a physical trip, but a spiritual quest, one that altered his view of the world and his role in it.
In conclusion, with this album, Hayden Calnin offers refuge—a place to stop the talks and rebuild through-tune-in with ourselves. It's not an album that screams to be heard but one that just naturally draws you in, holding on like a death grip even after the last note is played. Perhaps proving once again that music is a language for all, able to carry us through borders and near-identical shared experiences.
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