May 27, 2022 - Studio Barnhus
Young Wallace has graced us with a glimpse of his mind palace, where the walls are lined with Wallace Ancient Tartan and a Möbius strip dance floor stretches out in all directions. Here, time escapes itself. Here, meaning sheds itself. Here, life finds itself. The black and red and yellow checks and stripes of the tartan walls ripple with the bass emanating from ‘Chicken’s Head.’ The intro to Wallace’s Lemon Dreams whets the palette. Stabby synth stabs wag their fingers, saying “no longer” to the sedentary sentiments and relaxing-inclined. A warbled free-flying melodic line weaves in and out of the grid-locked percussion and bursts of wispy ambiance. The lights go out. ‘Welcome’ is next, the manifestation of invitation and greeting. The piece warms the palace, sending concentrated low-end frequencies through the air like a deep-tissue massage for the spirit. Everything smells like pineapple now. A mountain of Dole Whip rises in the middle of the infinite dance floor. Digital hunting calls clash in the digital sky against digital thunderclaps. A light rain begins to fall.
A caffeinated, effervescent melodic line repeats in earnest, laying the groundwork for ‘Air.’ Mechanical birds chirp in the trees that now occupy the mind palace. The piece lives up to its name, with subtle bass and nuanced percussion keeping time amongst the fabricated nature. The real standout here is the cymbal that emerges, loudly and proudly spreading its high frequencies through the foliage. A new light emerges in the relative darkness, faint at first but soon illuminating everything in a cool 6500K bluish light. Waves lap against a shore. Voices whisper and shout “I love you.” The dance floor unwinds, no longer an infinite loop. Instead it stretches towards the now present horizon. Meditation bowls bob up from under the water’s surface like boats. The tartan walls turn to curtains blowing in a soft wind. Wallace looks down from the sky. It’s time. We step into the nearest bowl-boat and push off towards the light. Towards the Lemon. Towards the Dreams. 🍍