Why run away to join the circus when you can stay home and write the score? Not to say that Holmes Ives hasn't been on a journey or two, but this particular project kept him in his Washington, D.C. area studio for five solid months while his brother (whose listening to Holmes' music during rehearsals got him the commission) studied 3,000 miles away with the San Francisco School Of Circus Arts. The troupe stages Cirque du Soleil-styled performances and it's really too bad there's not a DVD available for the full Monty of the score and the show at the same time. If the mystaphysical liner notes are any indication, it would be a mind-blower. Adapted from Appolonius Sophistes' "From Exercise For Unity" and Jesse Weidman's "Empedocoles of Arkagas," they relate the tension between love and strife and the effect they have on the four classical elements of water, air, earth and fire.
The teleology of Tetrasomia itself proceeds in similar fashion, from the opening track "Rhizae" (Greek for "roots"), an energetic track with elements of drum & bass, to the eleventh track "Nux (Slumber song)" a peaceful and dreamy bit of soothing ambient magic. Frequent Holmes collaborator Seroya adds her vocals to three tracks, "Kuanos" ("dark blue enamel"), "Mystic Roya" and the almost poppy "Where You Are," which wouldn't sound out of place on a Sarah McLachlan album. (At the time of this writing, this song was being used as the basis for a remix contest at acidplanet.com - some of those efforts are remarkable in their own right). Perhaps the most compelling track on the album is "Eros" (Greek for - well, you know this one, eh?), which blends the soundscape-y overall feel of the album with some lively drum patterns - those interested in dancing to Tetrasomia might want to check out the two Yoshitoshi remixes of this song. Whatever mood it happens to find you in and whatever it inspires in you, one thing's for certain: this ain't your father's circus music.
