States of Being - Meeting with a Judas Tree by Duval Timothy

The piano isn’t the virtuoso in this album; it shares space with some otherworldly force. Beginning with a transmitter-like pad on Plunge, rising and falling, we are introduced to Timothy’s film score for life.

Duval Timothy, a seasoned musician and producer, is no stranger to reinventing classical styles. Bright and rich, Timothy’s metaphysical Meeting with a Judas Tree speaks to the complexity of time and space. After the visceral Plunge, Wood introduces a brilliant manipulation of time signature. The piece starts off elastic and lyrical—akin to the human voice. However, at one minute and thirty-seven seconds, a punctual 4/4 adagio shifts the entire timbre of the piece. Now at a walking pace, we enter an illuminated interpretation of his previously established idea.

On Mutate, we are reintroduced to the transmitter yet again, this time in a deep percussive context. The production elements within the piece are mystifying, occasionally taking place further away in the mix. This gives off the sensation that it’s happening in the background. While brash-sounding bells scrape through and create rougher textures, it becomes clear that this is a transitional track. It reflects an intermittent state, perhaps an afterthought in relation to Wood. Timothy isn’t just creating individual pieces on Meeting with a Judas Tree; he’s constructing a concept—a string of consistent narratives with deviations that mirror thoughts and states of being.

Mutate ends, and we are then taken to the lush and iridescent Up, a strikingly bright and percussive track that feels deeply cinematic. Thunder and Drift, the ultimate pieces, further solidify the album’s identity. The conceptual element here is the consistency of the themes. I am reminded of the way Jon Brion would write a film score. It is evident that this album is about a particular place at a particular time—it describes something distinct and cohesive. There is an incident here, and the album is the alibi.