This second EP from The Non-Functional Saints (Phil Minns of Non-Functional Harmony and Nick Lewis of Nicolas and the Saints) and its title track, the sprawling, evolving “2,” is a composition in five parts. But all are unified by a pacing that seems consistent but never seems stuck. The song opens with hazy drones imbued with a hint of urgency and spiritual unrest as though a journey has been undertaken after long preparation. But that energy gives way to a more contemplative tenor with electromechanical sounds like a great engine pumping along. One imagines the voyage of a vehicle like the trains in Snowpiercer if they existed in a world that wasn’t built on a techno-authoritarian, post-civilizational model. When the high-pitched flaring sounds come in over the constant pulse it’s as though some kind of process has been initiated to slow the vehicle down. Then, on a dime, the track transitions to more expansive, spaciously melodic territory akin to having arrived at one’s destination and walking about in a large metropolis constructed from metal and crystal and on into a darkened plain lit intermittently by bioluminescent trees, the moon above hidden by low lying clouds. The effect of this hazy abstract drone thrumming with low end puts you in a reflective mood. Over the horizon is the flickering of light from nearby buildings, the flash of transportation streaming by in the near distance as well as expressed with splashes of bright, shimmering tones. The ambient drone subtle turns to a revolving set of tones as the journey is drawing to an end and the climax part of the piece approaches like a meeting with some kind of destiny. The ambient haze clears but the low end presence and revolving tones guide your mind to a place of deep rest after a traveling away from the distractions of the world to a place where your mind can free itself from the inessential before going back to normal life again. Fans of Robert Rich, Numina, Tim Hecker and Phaedra-period Tangerine Dream will likely appreciate this entrancing sonic journey. Listen to “2” on Spotify and follow The Non-Functional Saints on Soundcloud.
soundcloud.com/thenonfunctionalsaints
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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