Let me preface this review by saying that I have had music education and studies in both theory and composition, for what that's worth.  I also will say that I love classical music, but my main fondness is for the likes of Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Berlioz, Vivaldi, and Paganini.  About the only “modern classical” composition I ever really cared for was Ives “The Unanswered Question”.  What I’m trying to get at is I may not be the best suited to review The Higher Earth’s “ study for audiogram, passion, and observation at a distance”.  However, I will give my views on it. 

This composition is a lot to take in.  The piece starts out with discordant arpeggios pounded against abstract chords and triads.  The artist is obviously capable due to the speed and articulation in the playing.  There is deft use of dynamics throughout the piece.  There is a nice break in the middle where some semblance of melody comes in, and even though it is also dissonant, it has structure and let’s in the listener to the composer’s abilities.  However, most of this piece for me is tough to get through.  It sounds like an exercise in trying to find as many notes as possible that don’t work with each other.  I’ll grant you that playing every note “out” can be as tough as playing in key, but there just isn’t any structure or time for me to listen against.  I could even give The Higher Earth more credit from a performance standpoint, as I can’t imagine how difficult this was to play, but then the tune morphs in time at the end and let’s us know that this is not in real time, therefore I’m not sure if the performance was or not.  It’s hard to rate a piece of music like this when working with a scorecard...most of the criteria just don’t apply.  I mean, one of the categories is musical structure and another is melody.  Neither one fits.  In his description, such as it is, of the piece, the artist seems to be implying that this is just pure creation.  That may be.  However, what we create is still the sum total of what we have learned and experienced and then assemble these pieces of knowledge together in (hopefully) a unique way.  I don’t buy stream of consciousness.  Then there would truly be no structure to the triads or arpeggios, and you can hear those things in this music.  I will say this...it does have drama!  There is a force and energy to this piece that comes through loud and clear.

When you get down to it, music is how notes interact with each other in relation to scale and time.  When you abandon both scale and time, you have entropy of sound.  I’m not saying this is bad, I’m just saying in my opinion that it can be tough to listen to and absorb.  One thing I will say adamantly-this composition is never boring.  I guess it’s just for deeper minds than mine to appreciate.