There is an undeniable sense of interconnectedness on Tiger Flower Circle Sun and it’s not by accident. Christopher Willits has made incredible strides as a musician and a producer since his 2006 Ghostly debut, Surf Boundaries. Examining the universal themes of love and light, this album contains excitable sounds, from the percolating pulses that provide the foundation for most of the songs to the processed bits of digital information skittering to and fro with joyous anticipation.
“Sun Body” bursts forth with warm vocal harmonies over a drum kit, enclosed by a circular wall of noise that still allows that light to shine through. Pops and clicks dance around shards of guitar on “Plant Body” as Willits builds upon that with a psychedelic, fuzzed-out solo.
Taking a page from the Steve Reich school of composition for “The Hands Connect To The Heart,” Willits dives headfirst into guitar-led minimalism. As the layers increase, the guitars and bass hold the song together with a locked pattern while the rhythmic strains of congas roam free in the mix. Conversely, “The Heart Connects To The Head” releases splatters of chords over subdued Afro-Latin percussion and alternating low-end synthesized accents.
The album’s conclusion is set up beautifully with “Light Into Branches,” pastoral folk that serves as the first in a trio of connected tracks. The isolated feedback of “Branches Into Flowers” spills over into the shimmering bliss of “Flowers Into Stardust,” an ambient massage for the temples that can win over even the most jaded of spirits.
