I had previously reviewed Escudero’s album “Shapes of Inner Timespaces,” and found it to be a pleasant listen, so I was interested to see what his next album would sound like. Escudero hails from Madrid, Spain and his day job seems to be mathematics researcher (if my Google Scholar search is bringing back the right person, topology seems to be his forte). The label describes the album thus: “To the bemusement of the rest of us, mathematicians often describe certain equations, processes, and proofs as ‘elegant,’ ‘beautiful,’ or even ‘sensuous.’ Artworks based on algorithms, conversely, might seem less predisposed to such descriptions. But what if those complex calculations actually produced perceptibly emotional qualities?” Well, let’s run the program and see what the numbers give us.

“Páginas de Mar” is chaotic and whimsical right out of the gate. This would be right at home on a Looney tunes cartoon soundtrack. Heavy piano runs, wood blocks, staccato plucked strings and xylophone really make this work well. Seriously, this would be perfect on a cartoon soundtrack. “Sur la Pente du Talus” changes things up significantly. On this one tension is the name of the game, with low bass that is punctuated by the occasional bass stab and other incidental sounds. This would be right at home as the soundtrack to your haunted house next Halloween. “Das Wort als Horizont” moves in a slightly different direction. It's a noisy, scraping, clattering soundscape with an undercurrent that sounds like you're being digested by a large animal. It's noisy, but subdued. “Underland A20” shifts gears again, and this track is a lot of fun. Imagine letting a group of energetic children into a room with assorted orchestra instruments. They start plucking the strings, messing with them, running a bow over them in various places. Some of the children are pushing them around with the bow, dropping them on the floor, playing sword fight with the bows . . . and then they discover the basses. This is where sudden drops of heavy bass happen at times. All over a cacophony of strings. It's a good time, but I'm sure there are some violin players out there that are wincing at this description. “Ice Door” is like sitting in a ship that's been sunk to the bottom of the ocean. The clanks and heavy bass and rattling metal remind you that it hasn't quite settled just yet. The overall feel is kind of dream-like, but it's an unsettling dream. Much like being stuck at the bottom of the ocean. “Coincidence Threshold” is a bit more composed than the previous few tracks. It seems to have a bit more in common with “Páginas de Mar” in the sense that it seems more intentionally put together, but where the prior track is more whimsical in feeling, this track takes a more sinister turn. Heavy bass opens up the track and piano stabs interrupt the drone. The track tacks between animated, as the piano comes in, and sounding like Escudero has run the entire track backwards through a tape deck. I'm generally not a huge fan of piano-based pieces, but this piano player really makes it work.

The judicious use of dissonance is what gives these tracks their charm. Overall if you're looking for experimental classical music this is definitely one to find to check out. If there is a criticism to be had it's that some of the tracks started to sound a little too similar in feel. That said, this is well worth checking out if you're looking for something that pushes the envelope of classical music.