Powers of Observation is a consuming instrumental collection from Los Angeles composer Seven Crows. Utilizing a looped five-string electric violin, Chris Murphy weaves cinematic post-rock textures that shift from hushed, ambient intimacy into soaring, orchestral-style swells with immense technical grace.

A gorgeous album opener, “Amanda on the Bed” stirs with its buzzing, warm ambience and soaring strings. The latter’s movements echo an elegant, heartfelt quality throughout, unfolding with dreamy immersion and into heightened, vibrant bursts of emotion. The production balances subdued, introspective calm with more expressive tonal ferocity, showcasing the album’s command of tonal range. Subsequent track “Longing” excels in another realm entirely, its pulsing rhythms and plucky instrumentation beginning with head-nodding allure as beautiful strings enter again. The one-two punch of the opener’s spaciousness and the bouncy charm of “Longing” make for a wholly impressive start to the release.

The quality doesn’t stop there. “The Wind & the Water” is especially resonant in its layered violin work, which produce a very cinematic allure and certainly invoking natural scenery that’s vast and alive. Elsewhere, “Boreal” stands as amongst the album’s most enveloping build-ups, casting a subdued spell in the initial slithering of strings and plucky prowess, then evolving into effervescent violin enthrallment by the four-minute turn. Powers of Observation is a lovely full-length from Seven Crows, seamlessly infusing sweeping violin arrangements amidst sophisticated soundscapes.

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We discovered this release via MusoSoup.

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