In Joseph Campbell’s 1949 book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, man is examined through mythological and spiritual lenses, through the multifaceted angles of the heroic figure and what it means in the grand scheme of life. Known for his many “faces” as a musician and a producer, composing for television and film, and touring and recording with Garbage, Smashing Pumpkins, Filter, and Morrissey throughout the past 25 years, Matthew Walker mines through more epic, orchestrated pieces with of1000faces.
On The Infinity Line, the second (following Astronomica) of two albums, recently released by of1000faces, and next-to-last in his “Monomyyth” trilogy, Walker navigates a multi-dimensional state of sensory bliss. Fused in its many celestial meditations, “Kabuki of the Starred Deep” delicately pierces through Japanese-inspired instrumentation, segueing into the trance-like state of “Somnium” (Latin for “dream”), then taking on more space-y elements through “Anaira,” a song partly based on Harry Martinson’s poem, “Aniara.” Exploring hope and space as a human refuge, the track is accompanied by a video, created by Walker and Chris Zabriskie, using footage from 1960s Russian science fiction films.
In each vast deliverance, it’s as if any instrumental may go on forever, from the mysteriously moving sound therapy of “Shadowlight,” into the kinetic “The Infinity Line,” on through a more tranquil “To the Touch” and the shadowy hum of “Rutger’s Passage.”
A slight departure from of1000faces debut EP Love Imperfect in 2013, featuring jazz guitarist Wayne Johnson and Chris Connelly (Ministry, Revolting Cocks), and later singles “MM/DD/YYYY,” featuring The Moth & The Flame’s Brandon Robbins, and the hazy “Sleeping’s for Dreamers” with Jimmy Gnecco of Ours, The Infinity Line is another embodiment of Walker’s musical expression. To Walker, of1000faces is a concept that keeps reestablishing itself.
Tina Eves 