Hard Times, Hard Hearts

by bvdub | Brock Van Wey

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Saëwa I didn't really listen to this album until I took a trip to Seattle and...wow... I don't know what it is about 1.3 Over Invisible Walls, but every time it plays, I'm transported back to floating bridges, foggy pine forests, and the shores of Puget Sound. What a masterpiece. Favorite track: 1.3 Over Invisible Walls.

anniebarker It's amazing to me how Brock continues to make records that are at the same time fresh and inventive and yet have a feeling like an old friend who has been in your life for decades. I find myself compelled to come back to this album over and over again. Favorite track: 1.3 Over Invisible Walls.

Erich Inuri Hearing this a few times I would describe it as holographic, like being in four dimensions at the same time. Part East of Oceans, Part bvdub, part Earth House Hold and the total of everything being greater.

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Full Digital Discography

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Leaving, My Father, My Friend, Asleep in Ultramarine, Destroyesterday., The Depth of Rain, Illusions in Indifference, Four Forgetting, Days of Gold, and 61 more. , and , .

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	1.	1.1 Under Blue Waters 10:30
	2.	1.2 On Petrified Skies 09:16
	3.	1.3 Over Invisible Walls 19:01
	4.	1.4 Inside Infinite Machines 09:25
	5.	1.5 Above Broken Hearts 09:13
	6.	1.6 Across Ocean Floors 09:25
	7.	1.7 Beneath Frozen Fires 09:57
	8.	2.1 Cold Gazes 09:50
	9.	2.2 Empty Memories 10:01
	10.	2.3 Hollow Words 09:53
	11.	2.4 Aimless Days 10:07
	12.	2.5 Fleeting Beauties 09:46
	13.	2.6 Heavy Elevations 09:09
	14.	2.7 Slow Poses 09:37
	15.	2.8 Hard Times 03:57
	16.	2.9 Hard Hearts 05:57

about

* This is the digital-only version.
* For physical, please go to anay.bandcamp.com.

My return to the ever-enigmatic AY records from the depths of Tokyo, who agreed to return to the surface after years below, for this release and this only. And surface they did, with this mammoth two-disc album - "Complexity" and "Simplicity" - spanning over 2.5 hours, featuring one of a kind, custom artwork by Gracile, every step a labor of love.

Heart emoji.
___

Their words:

Brock Van Wey, a.k.a. bvdub, an extraordinary talent who connects electronica/ambient/drone, returns to AY, the Japanese label where he has released three albums so far. He is known for his prolific output, but this is a valuable double album with a profound story.

The first album, "Complexity", is a melancholic ambient piece with bvdub's signature vocal samples, and a fast beat piece that cuts through the layers of heavy synth sounds. The flickering textures of the sounds create a shimmering sonic journey between intensity and tranquility.

On the other hand, the second album "Simplicity" focuses on beatless music. The shimmering particles of sound aggregate and spread out like ripples, gently enveloping the listener. The journey of sound that leads to the title track "Hard Time" and "Hard Hearts" at the end of the album seems to be a story told in tranquility that invites you to a profound place.
___

Disc 1: Complexity

1. Under Blue Waters
2. On Petrified Skies
3. Over Invisible Walls
4. Inside Infinite Machines
5. Above Broken Hearts
6. Across Ocean Floors
7. Beneath Frozen Fires

Disc 2: Simplicity

1. Cold Gazes
2. Empty Memories
3. Hollow Words
4. Aimless Days
5. Fleeting Beauties
6. Heavy Elevations
7. Slow Poses
8. Hard Times
9. Hard Hearts

* AY is a Japanese label and therefore physical copies quite possibly come with whatever complex scenarios that entails, though I am sure they also distribute through other stores in or near your home country. Please do not email me with questions about physical copies, shipping, stores, or any related matters, I can tell you right now I do not know ;)

credits

released July 30, 2021

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about

bvdub | Brock Van Wey San Francisco, California

I make music about my life. I make music about life. I make music for life.

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