To many, music can be seen as a form of escapism, reeling a listener into an environment or mindset distant from reality. Emptiness within music can enhance this as well, developing a setting that one can’t connect to familiar elements. Los Que No Son Gentos, the latest release by Danielle Baquet-Long of Chubby Wolf and Celer, is ideal for envisioning scenery. Even the title itself, which translates to “those who are not people,” calls forth this absence of relation.
Akin to Celer’s 2010 cassette Honey Moon, Los Que No Son Gentos’s warm pulses are not only extensive in sustain, but they pensively wrap around both left and right channels. The panorama is bewitching, cloaking each piece in airy resonance. Sides ascending and descending in volume, Long’s material remains unobtrusive, yet becomes endearing in the interest of its emptiness. As sparse as these textures appear, their unadorned composure freely blossoms. Embracing minimalism and attentive arrangement, these 14 pieces paint a stark yet rich canvas encircling the observer.
As evidenced by certain track titles, Danielle’s music is motivated by desire, and this yearning is prominent throughout these 50 minutes. The hums’ asymmetrical rotations and infrequent harmonic agreement allude to swells that could be present but aren’t. This doesn’t result in hunger from the observer; rather, it forms mystery behind the album’s intent. The surroundings of Los Que No Son Gentos are left bare for its betterment and shaped dependently on the listener.