Coppice Halifax - Astral Salons [Vermilion Phase] (2021)

Following the completion of the nine phases in the ASTRAL SALONS series, it felt strange to run a monthly series for only three-quarters of the year, when all prior monthly serials have been a full 12 month run. So, the idea was drafted earlier in the Spring to finish out the series with three extended encore releases, each a full album-length session of Halifaxian deep listening that would contrast against the more melodic and densely-designed EPs with a more minimalistic approach.

With this in mind, I'm happy to publish TRIBUTARY THREE of THREE in the epilogue of ASTRAL SALONS. This volume, VERMILION PHASE, echoes the previous two phases (COBALT/QUARTZ) in that it recalls the prior season within a piece recorded following its passing. Here, VERMILION PHASE utilizes a field recording of leaves blown by the wind during the first week Autumn here in the valley, reflecting on the decline of a busy year as it descends into frozen stillness. The tributaries that have run across the Halifaxian map for the last twelve months have accumulated into a wise and untamed river, terminating here and now at our feet, their tenuous streams and blue longing almost unrecognizable in this rush of white noise and weathered Earth. Musically brimming with melodic passages and sweeping chordal arcs, VERMILION feels much like an extended reprise of EXTEMPORAL PHASE, especially given the prominent use of similar FM synthesizers to create bass and lead sounds. Bubbling over with references to map points all over the Halifaxian continent, from Solus to Ocean Lion, the recent Woven triptych and even the Analog Botany series, VERMILION is filled with a palpable sense of resolution and resolve.

From here to who-knows-where: an ASTRAL SALONS collection with or without bonus material may or may not yet be issued in '22.