Glowworm - Harvest

A Closer Listen

Glowworm ~ now the duo of Kevin Scott Davis and pianist & vocalist Asia Dojnikowska with guests on strings and double bass ~ has already made a huge impression with the video for “The Garden,” directed by Andy Trimbach.  The opening scene even includes a bright, teal-colored glowworm!  The aching of the protagonist is palpable, conveyed sonically by the piano and strings and visually by the choreography – a brief escape, perhaps only imagined.  Davis writes that while “Midnight Intervals was a somber reflection on the dark night of the soul, (Harvest is) about the joy that comes in the morning.”  The dual reference to St. John of the Cross and the 30th Psalm, along with track titles “Spirit,” “Agape,” and “Those Who Sow,” cements the spiritual association.  “The Garden” may be the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed, “If it is possible, let this cup of suffering pass from me;” the garden near the tomb, where Mary mistook the risen Jesus for the gardener; the Garden of Eden, lost and found; the garden of imagination, where we head for nourishment; or the garden of humanity, in which seeds shrivel or sprout.

The entire album is gorgeous, and flows like a suite.  The composers convey a sense of spiritual struggle through tender, often tentative melodies and Dojnikowska’s expressive, Enya-like voice. This combination of tones suggests the feeling of being lost, yearning to be found.  As the strings soar in “Agape,” they tug at the heart, producing a feeling of empathetic sorrow.  But at the back end of the album, the light is already shining.  “Those Who Sow” adds light percussion and soft chimes, suggesting physical and spiritual sunrise.  The title connects to that of the album.  Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.  Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.  By the end of “Luminarium,” the entire sonic field is saturated with brightness.

The Harvest is a reminder that beauty still exists, even in the mundane.  The imagination and the spirit extend the possibility of transcendence.  As the final notes recede, they reveal a soundscape of profound peace: only the waves against the shore, every grain counted and known, like every soul embraced by its creator.  (Richard Allen)