Willis Earl Beal – Real Experiments in Time

Title: Real Experiments in Time

Artist: Willis Earl Beal

Label: CD Baby

Release date: August 8, 2014

Defiantly non-commercial, Real Experiments in Time is Willis Earl Beal’s first release since parting company with XL, the label that issued his highly original and occasionally brilliant debut album, Nobody Knows, last fall. Freed from label constraints and the stress of touring, Beal’s cathartic follow-up offers meditative songs that “hover around a sonic center,” designed to flow around listeners in atmospheric layers. As Beal relates, “I realized that nothing much happened in life. It seems like a lot of things were happening, but really, nothing was happening.” Taking this philosophy to heart, the album unfolds slowly as if waking from a dream, only the dream state continues, consciousness is elusive. And indeed this approach works for the melodious first half of the album, drawing the listener into Beal’s world where “time has and simultaneously has not passed.” With titles such as “Questions,” “Monotony” and “Waste It Away,” Beal’s soulful voice is a perfect match for his existential lyrics, a truth seeker reaching for the light. The album culminates with “Traveling Eyes,” perhaps a bit closer to what one might label a song, employing a wider vocal range and acoustic guitar softly plucked in a repetitive, minimalistic pattern.

The final tracks gradually decay into an experimentation in soundscapes that fail to inspire. Concluding with “Now Is Gone,” the album ends as it began, with lo-fi tape hisses and phasing evocative of Beal’s time-shifting theme.

As with Nobody Knows, Beal’s artistic vision shines through at times, but is just as often obscured. By eschewing outside producers he’s gained control over the product, but one can’t help but question the decision. Nevertheless, Real Experiments in Time is definitely worth a listen if you’re in the mood for other-worldly, trancelike melodies and introspective verses that draw equally from Philip Glass, Tom Waits, and Bob Dylan (all cited as influences).

As a post script, fans will be interested to know that Willis Earl Beal has the lead role in the forthcoming Tim Sutton film Memphis, scheduled for release in September.