AMG Review of Prism of Eternal Now

Heather Phares
All Music Guide

Adam Forkner's White Rainbow project began with CD-Rs and soon evolved into multimedia installation pieces. White Rainbow's Kranky debut, Prism of Eternal Now, shows off the spectrum of Forkner's music, which occupies a blissful space somewhere between dream pop, drum circles, psychedelic rock, and avant-garde electronics. The album warms up with some relatively brief tracks: "Middle" sets Forkner's distorted vocals adrift on a shimmering sea of electronics, while the aptly named opener, "Pulses," layers yipping, tablas, a heavy synth bass straight out of '70s prog, and a lysergic guitar solo, proving that as transcendent as White Rainbow's music may be, it isn't always gentle. Likewise, the Terry Riley-inspired "For Terry" boasts some strangely feral electronic squeals, and "Mystic Prism"'s relentless bassline adds an ever-so-slightly ominous edge to its beauty. As Prism of Eternal Now unfolds, it gets more elongated and abstract, displaying Forkner's skill with setting moods and shaping atmospheres. "April 25 11:14 PM" and "Awakening"'s viscous electronic textures underscore Forkner's ties to Portland's other sonic wanderers, including Valet and Jackie-O Motherfucker. "Warm Clicked Fruit" may be Prism of Eternal Now's definitive track, its melody and whispery percussion ebbing and flowing like heartbeats and breathing, or breezes and rippling water, in a perfectly balanced blend of acoustics and electronics. Tribal yet modern, intricate yet spacious, this is White Rainbow's most accessible work.