Jon Porras - Arroyo (2022)

Jon Porras' solo work has shifted from dark, desert-like psychedelia to glacial electronics, with 2018's Voices of the Air containing some of the most detailed sound design of his discography. Arroyo is much starker, consisting of four minimalist ambient pieces, yet it feels open and tranquil rather than the artist's brittle, submerged releases like 2014's Light Divide. The tracks appear to be simple on the surface, but the suspended chords and the softly trickling notes all seem deliberate and well considered, and while hypnotic, the compositions aren't exactly repetitive. "Flower in Hand" is a placid pool of synth glow with piano notes gently dropping into place, and hushed waves of white noise slowly lapping at the corners of the speakers. The piano melodies are much sparser on the next two pieces, with "In a Garden" coming closer to stillness than the more flowing "Arroyo," which appropriately translates to "stream" in Spanish. "Woven Landscape" is another calm, comforting drift, this time forming a duet with Porras' untethered guitar and piano notes. Porras has created a lot of tense, sometimes suffocating work since first emerging as one-half of Barn Owl during the mid-2000s, and it's a bit of a minor shock to hear him completely let go and concentrate on music that isn't overwhelming and heavy on dynamics. Arroyo is a relaxing effort that seems to slow down time and create space for deep, uninterrupted reflection.