I’ve found myself attracted to artistically rendered, meaningful electronic music lately, and The Carbon Files checks all of the boxes. The artist recently released his debut full length album, called “To Whom It May Concern”. It released on April 21st, and I simply can’t get enough.
The Carbon Files is a solo project from visual artist Dirk Dzimirsky of Germany. His primary muse is hyper-realistic drawings and paintings, but he decided to extend his beautiful touch into music now. He plays all instruments, from piano to various acoustic instruments to electronic rigs. He is quite a talent, almost like he can excel in any art form.
The Carbon Files is a project in the truest sense because Dirk does not plan to explore just a single type of music therein. Nothing is off limits. On “To Whom It May Concern”, the genre of choice is instrumental electronic/ambient music. It is definitely downtempo and relaxing in tone, and it is primarily led by gorgeous piano passages. Imagine those piano lines set up against exquisite electronic loops and rhythms, and you will get the idea. The music is rather dark, sometimes in melancholy fashion, and it mostly feels rather metro and thoughtful.
Dirk has great skill at translating emotions and experiences into music. Many of the songs seem to be about mundane parts of life, things with hidden beauty that Dirk has been able to coax out with great success. Some of the songs are more about human emotion, and the complexity and even greyness of such untamed beasts. Again, Dirk does a wonderful job at adding atmosphere, cinematic anticipation, and purposeful melodies to convey these emotions clearly.
The album is “pay what you want” on Bandcamp and comes with ten songs. Each of them is illustrious, subtle, and nuanced, but many have breakout moments that will make your heart sing. A good example of this is the opener, “The Past Has to Start Somewhere”. This track slowly builds itself through grey atmosphere and elusive hints until the piano, percussion, and electronica all combine into a whirling mist of beauty. It’s a fantastic way to start such an album. Many of the songs play out that way, with a solid piano melody at their core, and rising crescendos in their finale. “To Whom It May Concern”, “Now I Must Sleep Without Rest”, and “Lost on the Runway” are all examples of this. I’d also mention “You Are Out of Control”, which almost sounds like a musical dialogue, like an actual conversation. It’s brilliant.
My favorite songs seem to have the smallest spark of something even greater, though. Those would be “The Quietest Dark”, “Polaroid”, and “My Uneasy Heart”. “The Quietest Dark” is the longest track on the album, and thus gets more time to evolve. It gets the chance to start the beat rather early compared to other tracks, and it transitions between beats and melodies beautifully. The final two minutes are absolutely amazing. “Polaroid” is a slower, more atmospheric track that reminds me of the Nordic Giants. It feels nostalgic, meaningful, and weighty. “My Uneasy Heart” was the first track to strike my fancy. There’s something so relatable in its depths, through the layers of subtle synthetic strings and a powerful central piano melody. It almost feels like the song is sharing its own heart with me as I listen, and then I realize it is my own heart doing the talking.
“To Whom It May Concern” is a strong debut for The Carbon Files. I expect Dirk will be back soon, too, as this album feels like the work of an artist who has plenty of ideas, many of which stem from real human experiences. If you love gorgeous melodies, cinematic visions, and expressive music, I recommend grabbing a copy of this wonderful record.
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Find The Carbon Files online:
Website
Bandcamp
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The PROG Mind 