h i g h l a n d is a collection of 10 electroacoustic pieces by Brendan Glasson that evoke new landscapes and worlds of possibility. The works are contemplative but active, plaintive but optimistic, beautiful but with sharp edges. The prismatic collection takes unexpected turns to arpeggiated electronics, driving organ, and hypnotic piano as it unfolds over its 34 minutes.

After leaving his job in the historic music department at Mills College, Brendan set up a warehouse space as a studio in an industrial area of Berkeley, CA. He developed a daily ritual of walking the four miles from his home in Oakland to the studio, recording improvisations with piano, synthesizers, and other electronics, and listening back to the sessions on the walk home.

The pieces on h i g h l a n d arose from those improvisations, and as a result the collection has a liveness and immediacy that is unusual in electronic music. The industrial context of the studio, located across the street from a cement factory, and the meandering walks through the incongruous wealth divides of the San Francisco Bay Area inspired the broken geographies of the music.

Ultimately though, the collection presents an optimistic vision. While the music reflects its surroundings, it simultaneously conjures utopia. Brendan says, “These songs are not universally pleasant, but to me they never seem cruel. Maybe this is my idea of a soundtrack for an elevated place, a highland.”

Brendan has previously released albums on Full Spectrum Records and Debacle Records. His new full-length album, h i g h l a n d, is due to be released on April 10 via Wow! signal.