10.24.19 by Ryan Masteller

Look, this is just what we’re all doing at this point, aren’t we? “Crawling into Tomorrow.” We can’t walk anymore, our backs broken from the persistent and massive weight of unease and expectation. We are fully on the ground, groveling, squirming along like wounded snakes, just hoping for enough to get by for at least one more day. That’s it. That’s all we’re looking for. Survival at a lowest-common-denominator level.

That’s an ominous vibe, isn’t it? Sorry. Sometimes you just feel it – the load bearing the full force of gravity as it encumbers your every movement, physical or metaphorical. Daniel Donchov, aka Non Photo Blue, has borne that load. He has also realized that the burden we bear can make us who we are, can shape us, and can guide us upon a path that may actually better us. It’s true! Take “Crawling into Tomorrow,” for example, a heady concoction of ambient synthesizer and ethereal atmospherics, loaded with meaning and importance. Every second is a moment to contemplate the state of yourself and your history, your current situation, your future. It’s a serious, sad moment for most of us as we realize our lot in life, but it’s also freeing: think about those dissipating expectations and the onrushing of self-worth once you’ve jettisoned those emotional burdens. Think about the time you do have, and what you can do with it, who you can spend it with, how you can help.

Maybe after “Crawling into Tomorrow” you’re just about ready to stand up, dust yourself off, and move forward with your head held high. That’s sort of how I feel after it – yeah, Non Photo Blue’s made me feel pretty good after all. Who would have thought that the melancholy soundtrack for sleepless, wandering nights and exhausted, gray dawns would be so fulfilling? It’s like chill northern air, morning mist, and fleeting sunbeams through clouds in aural form: sneakily invigorating.

Amek Collective’s done it again! Only five of the original run of fifty left from the label.