CD Review | An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene (Leaf Music, 2023)

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An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene
Frank Horvat, composer; SHHH!! Ensemble
Leaf Music, October 2023

The age of humans—the “Holocene era”—is at its end, suggests award-winning composer Frank Horvat on his latest masterpiece, An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene. And yet, such a recording, filled with more than 100 audio samples and dozens of instruments played by the two musicians of SHHH!! Ensemble would not be possible without the very technological innovations that are leading to the demise of our species. According to the composer, these innovations also present possible solutions.

Horvat is known for distilling complex analyses into avant-garde, yet digestible experiences. As such, each work is only a few minutes long. The album is divided into four parts, each of which has been given a name that explains what role they play in diagnosing (and proposing solutions) for contemporary issues. In Part 1, Causes, gun shots rattle off below a tense and monotone staccato piano melody; chainsaws whirr as a marimba plays a repetitive tune; and various gongs emulate the sounds of travelling cars and blaring horns. Each sample is used sparingly, so as not to overshadow the instruments; they never sound tacky or appended to the music for the sake of melodrama.

The piano is the only constant, shifting from angry to anxious to hopeful as the album progresses, perhaps as a representation of the power of human agency. The gentle-but-loud marimba, which becomes increasingly prevalent across Parts 2 and 3—Symptoms and Solutions, respectively—suggests that humanity must be diligent and forceful as we aspire to self-improvement. The calm vibraphone and pleasant natural sounds of Part 4, The Outcome, close out the album with a satisfying optimism despite the original doom-and-gloom.

This musical experience is a much-needed reminder of the healthy world we’re all working toward.

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