Trees Speak return with ‘TimeFold’, their sixth release on Soul JazzRecords, further expanding their ever-evolving sonic universe. This newalbum builds on their signature blend of hypnotic Krautrock rhythms, post-punk angularity, and experimental soundscapes while venturing into newterrain by blending influences from avant-garde electronics to ceremonialsound forms.On ‘TimeFold’, Trees Speak (comprised of the Tucson-based duo DamianDiaz and Daniel Martin Diaz) push their musical boundaries from expansive,intergalactic landscapes to eerie, imagined 1970s Italian and French sci-fihorror film scores. The album seamlessly weaves John Carpenter-esquesynthesizer motifs with ambient sound sculptures, conjuring immersiveworlds that are both cinematic and otherworldly.The album also incorporates the duo’s deep-rooted influences, which spanacross electronic pioneers like Jean-Michel Jarre (‘Oxygene’), TangerineDream and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Drawing on the revolutionary techniquesof Musique Concrète, ‘TimeFold’ features experimental track splicing,looping, and collage work that harkens back to the golden age of avant-gardemusic. At times, the album channels the ceremonial tones and hypnoticrhythms reminiscent of early 1970s Krautrock, fusing these sounds withorganic instrumentation like dulcimers, adding an earthy, drone-like ritualquality to the experimental electronic framework.A new element in this release is the inclusion of spoken word by AshleyChristine Edwards, which lends the album a haunting, apocalyptic edge. Hercontributions evoke a tone reminiscent of the 1970s avant-garde scene,recalling literary and conceptual artists like Ruth White. The spoken wordscreate a sensory experience akin to ceremonial chants, adding to theatmospheric intensity of the album. These vocal elements tie into the overalltheme of ‘TimeFold’, which continues Trees Speak’s exploration of futuristictechnologies and the communication of nature, with the evocative concept oftrees and plants acting as organic hard drives storing data and knowledge.Drawing further influence from Italian and French horror cinema, TreesSpeak explore cinematic tension throughout ‘TimeFold’, creating a layeredlistening experience. The record transports the listener from the haunting,desolate beauty of Southwestern desert vast landscapes to an auditoryspace that melds early electronic experimentation with the contemporaryurgency of conceptual art.Since their debut, ‘Ohms’, in 2020, Trees Speak’s prolific output on SoulJazz Records has continually redefined genre boundaries. ‘TimeFold’solidifies their position as visionaries in experimental music, offering analbum that is as much a meditation on future technologies as it is a tribute tothe avant-garde traditions that have come before.
