Have you ever felt like a lone sock in a dryer, tumbling endlessly, searching for its match, only to find… a button? That’s a little how I felt listening to De/OS’s (Taemin Kim’s) new single, “Rise I.” But in the best way possible. It’s a swirling vortex of calm, a sonic kaleidoscope. The release is described as minimalist ambient, orchestral, zen…and yes, it’s all those things. But it’s also, somehow, a tiny seed cracking open, a slow unfurling of… what, exactly?
Resilience. That’s what De/OS is exploring, what’s infused every subtle swell and retreat of the music. Not the kind of shout-it-from-the-rooftops resilience, but the quiet, persistent growth of a redwood, drinking deep from unseen springs.
There’s an almost painful beauty, and its not sad. I kept expecting it to be, for my mind and soul, and it did not happen! It’s surprisingly hopeful. Reminiscent of the first light, a brand new dawn, a golden hour over water, an inner peace.
And speaking of beauty of humankind, the explicit theme of “Rise I” doesn’t hit you over the head with a philosophical hammer. No.
It cradles you. Makes you breathe. Makes you want to call your grandmother and ask her about that one story from her childhood – you know, the one about the bird? Which reminds me… birds are weird. How do they know where to go?
Taemin Kim has managed to wrap profundity in a package so listenable, so unexpectedly grounding, that it catches you off guard. One moment you’re contemplating the very nature of existence, and the next you’re feeling utterly… centered.
What are the next chapters going to sound like? I don’t know, but if this is the beginning, it is something to go by… What remains, after all the noise fades?
