Denton musician, Leoncarlo Canlas, creates dazzling soundscapes with nothing but his violin and a loop pedal. His pieces are surprisingly dynamic and always beautiful in a cinematic way. He’s been creating music under his first name since 2008 playing at venues from Hannah’s to Harvest House and is now in the process of releasing his first solo album, Still Forms.
The album finds Leoncarlo at his best - picking bowing on his violin and manipulating or looping it until the single instrument turns into an orchestra of sorts. The songs are reminiscent of an unmade Kishi Bashi soundtrack for movie that doesn't exist yet, but that we really wanna see.
We’ve embedded the single “Blooming” for your listening pleasure below. The song is a great intro to the album (in spite of it actually being the last track). That said, this album is best when digested as a whole. The songs fade into one another as part of one cohesive whole. Our favorite is, “Colossus,” which is at times frantic and at others headstrong and motivating enough to the point that it would actually make sense on your workout playlist. Seriously. Check them both out below.
Last weekend, Leoncarlo held a release party at Harvest House to celebrate the physical release of Still Forms. The album officially drops online this Friday, June 10th, but you can currently listen to the entirety of the album for free on his bandcamp page.
And because any great album is incomplete without the accompaniment of a great music video, Still Forms features a video from People of Denton dude, Wesley Kirk. Kirk was inspired by Canlas’ music and tried to create something that worked with the songs that he described as taking the listener, “...on a journey through mystery, joy, wonder, and trepidation.The video features dancer/choreographer, Jamie Jones, dancing to a mix of several different songs from Still Forms - her movements looped and colorized in such a way to visualize Canlas’ soundscapes. Check out the video below.
You can buy or listen to the entirety of Still Forms on Leoncarlo’s Bandcamp. Make sure to check out his website, like his Facebook page, and to check back here every Wednesday to see when he is playing his next live show.