PREMIERE | Ambergrove, "stills"
Basking in the moments and presence of all that gives life meaning and joy with Ambergrove; press photo courtesy of the artists.
The faculties of the senses have the power to take us places. A certain aroma reminds us of the way a long lost friend’s home smelled from years and years past, or how a sound can remind us of a book’s worth of memories, a taste can take us to the dinner table of notable moments shared with lost loved ones, to the way our vision can discover similarities in the semiotics of persons, places, and other assorted things. The linear and chronological planes of existence collapse as we become enraptured by the pertinent things that have an impact on us (from the grandiose to the sublime). The things that make the good, the bad, and everything we wish we could forget all somehow worthwhile. All of this and more are parts of the stories that ultimately make us the people we are. These moments of mindfulness offer a host of perspectives, both new and old, shining a light on the things that we all but forgot, and perhaps casts a glow on the notions that hadn’t crossed our mind until that meditative moment. These fleeting moments make us feel alive, providing us a chance to run with abandon through the pages and chapters of experience that have contributed to all the innumerable events that influence and inspire us beyond the scales of measure.
Gracefully gallivanting through these streams of sentiments and thoughts is San Luis Obispo collective Ambergrove with the sweeping and astounding new single “stills”. Featured off the group’s forthcoming album debut I Love You As a Bright Horizon, the feeling of shuffling through old stacks of cherished still photographs abounds throughout the song. Featuring contributions from AJ Perdomo, Chris O’ Connor, RUSHA, Chris Lambert, Andereya Baguma, One Voice Children's Choir (from Australia), and more; Ambergrove rides high on a sound and spirit that surfs toward the blinding horizon. Breaking beyond the vanishing point of sight, “stills” is a dedication to a life in motion like a collection of familial photos that when combined make for a flip book that reads like an old home movie.
Ambergrove goes for all the gusto on “stills”. Simulating the thrill of running about fields of grain, “stills” gallops high with an abandon that rides to the curiosity of a thousand tomorrows on the winds and wings of yesterdays. Imagery of militaristic muscle and numbing agents sets the scene for a blissful escape to places that feel both new and familiar. The collective crashes through the paradigms of division and diversion, seeking something more substantive. The majestic orchestration of “stills” feels like a coda to a whirlwind romantic dramedy where the protagonists are reunited with someone they care about. Someone that was once in their lives and disappeared around the film’s midpoint, initiating a plethora of soul searching and adventures to find out where it all went wrong.
Into blurry overlays with Ambergrove; press photo courtesy of the artists.
The song feels larger than life, a song informed by the overtures of life, climbing the hills and treading water toward something magnificent and accessible to all. Ambergrove orchestrates an anthem of absolute actualization, a song suited for the big arena tours, the Top 40 charts, and for everyone that is longing to feel something significant like the emotions that stir whilst perusing time capsules that beam rays of hope for whatever may arrive in the great mysteries of the days and eves to follow. The SLO ensemble sends us through the valleys, and plains, and bodies of water, reminding us of everywhere we have been, and everywhere else we want to go.
Water wading poses by Ambergrove; press photos courtesy of the artists.
The collective Ambergrove provided some reflective words meditating on the new single “still”:
Like all of the songs on our upcoming debut album, the theme of "stills" is for the listener's interpretation.
Gentle waters, courtesy of Ambergrove.
"stills" can be viewed as literally or metaphorically as you'd want it, depending how it's applied.
Vista visions of water and earth, provided by Ambergrove.
Even my own interpretation of it is a bit skewed, as it seemed to evolve immensely over time. what I can say about it, is that it still serves as a musical photograph during a time when I was/had absolutely nothing.
Ambergrove’s debut album I Love You As a Bright Horizon will be available later this year.