25. March 2025
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Media Review

BrhyM – Deep Sea Vents

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

BrhyM - Deep Sea Vents

BrhyM - Deep Sea Vents
3.3

Rating

 3.3/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Great musical level and expertise
  • Very wide range of songs and sounds

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Too demanding
  • Too complex, sometimes tends to feel chaotic

Three times Grammy Award winner Bruce Hornsby meets the chamber ensemble yMusic. What started as a five concert series in 2020, lead to two single releases in early 2024, followed by the project’s debut album, Deep Sea Vents Life. I was really curious about that collaboration when I received the press kit from a promoter. Here are my thoughts about the 1st March 2024 publication.

 

BrhyM – About The Artists

Bruce Randall Hornsby was born on 23rd November 1954 in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is known for a rather wide range of music between rock, jazz and bluegrass. During his career, he also had multiple bands and collaborations. The most famous are likely Bruce Hornsby and the Range (1984-1991) and being a touring member of the Grateful Dead in the early 1990’s. Apart from BrhyM, Hornsby is nowadays also releasing music with Ricky Skaggs and with his The Bruce Hornsby trio. He overall released ten studio albums. Especially his albums with Bruce Hornsby and the Range were a global success.They are active since 2008

The chamber ensemble yMusic is a sextet based in New York and released five studio albums and two EPs so far. The instrumentalists are Alex Sopp (flute), Hideaki Aomori (clarinets), CJ Camerieri (trumpet), Rob Moose (violin), Nadia Sirota (viola) and cellist Gabriel Cabezas.

 

BrhyM – Deep Sea Vents – Track by Track

The ten song album lasts 37 minutes.

1. The Wild Whaling Life

Already the first song shows: it will be hard to put this album into words. There are parallel elements, different levels, experimental sounds. Some sections of The Wild Whaling Lfe feel like a melodic folk music song, just to turn into virtuous melodies, which are rather on the yMusic home grounds of the project. BrhyM feels very versatile, but also by that a bit of demanding.  You feel musical excellence, but to me it is also a bit too overwhelming.

2. (My) Theory of Everything

(My) Theory of Everything feels easier and less complex than the opener. “Less complex” still means that BrhyM is demanding, but the changes and experimental parts are less demanding for the listener. And the clear core of this track is a progressive rock one, which reminds me of Genesis in the 1970’s.

3. Platypus Wow

The brass instruments dominate the sound of Platypus Wow and almost create squeeky sounds in the first half of this song. The more it is surprising, that the song suddenly turns into a rather melodic listen. A very dramatic, narrative performance, which is just a bit too alternating to me.

4. Phase Change

To me, the songs very significantly change in the way I can “digest” them. Similar to (My) Theory of Everything, the fourth song Phase Change is much easier for me to listen to than the other two songs of the album before. There are not too many chances in this song, which comes with a straight theme. Phase Change als feels harmonic, while other songs on the album have an almost destructive touch to me.

5. Foreign Sounds

Foreign Sounds is a very hymnic, narrative song. Especially the beginning of the track, which is focusing on a harmonic sound bed for the lyrics, are a a beautiful listen. The clapping-alike rhythm is another very interesting element.

6. The Wake of St. Brendan

The sixth track works with a lot of vocal distortion. The sound of this one feels ripping, disruptive to me. Just when I asked myself whether I really want to stand that sound for the whole 3:41 minutes, BrhyM presents rather melodic elements as well. Overall, the song is like a musical fight to me, though.

7. Deep Blue

The versatility and virtuosity of album also leads to very surprising moments. Deep Blue is opening with a very present rhythm and a very groovy vibe and thus presents a very different style in the music universe of BrhyM. Despite the style leads to a certain ease, the song is complex and full of showcases for the different musical actors. I feel BrhyM in the style of songs like Deep Blue would be more relatable.

8. The Baited Line

With 2:36 minutes, The Baited Line is the shortest song of the album. Despite there is a lot of technical manipulation also on the vocal side, the song does have a certain harmony and feels dreamy. However, in the style of this album, the eighth song almost feels a bit too short. It cannot show a development, a plot in the way other songs in here do.

9. Barber Booty

Qucik melodic themes and a jazzy touch define the ninth song Barber Booty at its beginning. However, the style of the song is changing multiple times. The instruments feel very virtuous – sometimes, the playing style has a naive and childish touch. Even though you feel a plot, Barber Booty has a touch of a mash-up to me.

10. Deep Sea Vents

The title track is closing the album. The song starts with chamber orchestra dance music vibes. You feel nostalgic, before the song is turning into the very experimental progressive rock style again. Nonetheless, the chucker-out feels rather structured to me and does not present major parts,in which several layers almost feel to be randomly put together.

 

 

BrhyM – Deep Sea Vents – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify

 

BrhyM – Deep Sea Vents – My View

Albums like Deep Sea Vents are likely the hardest for me to review. I definitely do feel that masterful level of music on both side, Bruce Hornsby and yMusic. I feel the collaboration, I feel the potential in the project BrhyM. On the other hand: to me, there are too many parts of Deep Sea Vents, which are too complex, too much made up. To me, that disturbs the impression about a collaboration, which comes with a lot of potential. Bad luck.

Favorite Song: Deep Sea Vents

 

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