The Hillside Project - The Available Light

A Closer Listen

The entry point is a striking cover, more precisely a series of linked covers created by SnowSkull while listening to the music of The Available Light.  This first impression makes one wonder what the music will sound like.  Will it be this vibrant and colorful?  Will it burst with life?  Will it be a collage of colors and timbres?  The answer to all of these questions is yes, but we might not have known this had the cover not caught our eye.

After a sedate overture, the album jumps into high gear with the sprightly piano of “The Lengths.”  Josh Hill began The Hillside Project as a showcase for his felted piano work, but over time added other timbres, including a string section, vibraphone, double bass, synth and drums.  “Slivers and Shards” is a perfect example of the expanded sound; in both title and execution, the track reflects the art created in its honor ~ a complete cycle.  The eight staccato notes of the dramatic finale are echoed by the piano while bells sparkle all around: the slivers and shards sharp in sound but smooth in texture.

The title track brings a stringed melody to the fore, slowing the tempo only temporarily (pun intended).  For an artist, the title implies the use of light while the last lasts, or metaphorically the use of whatever colors and timbres are available.  Before composing, Hill had endured a “difficult period,” but there’s little hint of that here; the music sounds like triumph.  The act of creation stimulated his joy.

The title of single “Sparkler Dims” seems to head in the opposite direction, but the title is a Kerouac quote, describing the dimming of light before the “coming of complete night that blesses the earth.”  The dimming of light produces more light, in this case the twinkling stars.  Hill continues to play swiftly while the strings play sweetly, an exquisite contrast like that between day and night.  A bubble of synth separates the navy sky from the Aurora Borealis.  “Adamantine Lustre” also plays with color and light.  The title refers to a diamond in Latin, an energy source in Dungeons and Dragons and the Marvel Universe: green by candlelight, purple by magical light.  The same holds true for “Iridescences,” a cooler composition, painted in softer hues.

“A Closing” demonstrates the thought that went into making the album a unified experience.  The staccato notes of “Slivers and Shards” return, but by the ending the energy is considerably calmer.  The Ouroboros bites its tail, and “A Closing” segues smoothly back into “An Opening.”  Shards and slivers, colors and hues abound, with enough available light to gather them all.  (Richard Allen)