The music of Los Angeles-based composer and producer
Deru has always taken a cinematic view, offering finely detailed ambient soundscapes that zoom in and out between panoramic vistas and intense close-ups. The project of musician
Benjamin Wynn,
Deru has indeed composed for a number of film and television projects, but on his 2018 album,
Torn in Two, he does his own world-building within the space of nine exquisitely layered instrumental tracks. Dealing in themes of humanity's behavior and existence as a whole is quite an ambitious angle to take, but
Torn in Two is a surprisingly weighty and effective work full of catharsis, fear, wonder, and spontaneity. Leading with the title track, the album begins with menacing lances of distortion and bending whorls of textural power that are as captivating as they are unnerving. As its name would suggest, "Refuge" offers a bit of tranquil respite, though its surface is still crawling with the roiling abrasions that suddenly come and go throughout the record. Though mostly electronic in origin,
Deru's pieces come with a tactile sense that suggests something far more organic. Take, for example, "The Overview Effect," a distant and eerie track overlaid with a strange dusty static that gives the impression of particles and debris blowing through the void. It's an uncomfortable and even bleak listen at times, but a rewarding one that rattles loose deep emotions without the aid of lyrics.
Deru's wide-angled aural images of a world in flux reflect our troubled times, but also uncover its passion and beauty.