Audiopile Review: Music From Memory continue their 2024 hot streak with the debut album from Total Blue, a new trio consisting of Alex Talan and Anthony Calonico and Nicky Benedek, the latter of whom is best known simply as Benedek. If you’re already familiar with Benedek’s various output of the years, including releases for PPU, Apron, Second Circle, and, most notably, Leaving Records, then the ‘80s-inspired, glossy tones here should be no surprise. But while Benedek albums, which both Talan and Calonico have contributed to over the years, have tended towards a lo-fi, dance-oriented impulse, the trio immerse us in a set of liquid grooves that glide through new age, fourth world and ambient-jazz. With the painterly strokes of a wind synth and buoyant, fuggy percussion, the trio drive it forward with peeling guitar solos and endless nods of fretless bass, evoking the twilight sky arching above a sparkling city skyline, or a sun dappled skim above cool waters. Fans of Leaving Records, ECM, Balmat, and, of course, Music From Memory will be able to slip into this one with ease.

Music From Memory is excited to introduce ‘Total Blue’, the Los Angeles-based trio of Nicky Benedek, Alex Talan, and Anthony Calonico. Despite collaborating for over a decade, ‘Total Blue’ represents a new chapter in their artistic journey together as a trio.

Embracing chance, inviting the unknown, and guided by a spirit of sheer play and exploration, ‘Total Blue’ was driven by a desire to ‘touch the beyond’ in pursuit of an elusive vibe the three had been chasing for years.

Alex, Nick, and Anthony envision ‘Total Blue’ as the all-encompassing full picture, a place where the real and the imaginary begin to blur; a destination reached not through escapism but by expanding one’s perspective; a widened scope of vision where personality both shines and disintegrates.

Across the album, their mission statement is expertly achieved with subtlety and delicate human touch; painting with a lush palette of digital synths, Akai EVI wind synthesizer, fretless bass, and guitar, the trio masterfully balance texture and color, evoking wide expansive vistas that stretch from Los Angeles right out to the furthest reaches of sky and sea. This is ‘Total Blue’ – a place of time and timelessness where echoes of history and tradition merge with rootless inhuman sonics.

MFM071 will be released as 1xLP on vinyl and in digital format on July 19th 2024. Art and design by Michael Willis.