With the May 17 release of Hallway Of Mirrors nearing, New York-based guitarist/composer Alexander Turnquist has unveiled the track “Spherical Aberrations” off of the upcoming LP exclusively on CMJ. The 23-year-old composer continues to highlight the expansive textural vocabulary of his 12-string acoustic guitar, often taking the instrument to unfamiliar territories. After establishing his capability as an instrumentalist on As The Twilight Crane Dreams In Color in 2009, Turnquist’s third release on VHF is expected to demonstrate the young artist’s growth in compositional style.





While many of Turnquist’s compositions employ complex percussive rhythms on the guitar that are rich with melody, “Spherical Aberrations” features the instrument as a drone hovering above the chord changes of the piece. The track reinforces previous comparisons drawn between his work and the work of Philip Glass due to repetition disguising a gradual evolution of harmony through the entirety of its form. However, Turnquist’s addition of depth to the album’s instrumentation throughout Hallway Of Mirrors, including vibraphone, strings and piano, claims to be inspired by Steve Reich’s “Music For 18 Musicians.” The growing influence from these minimalist compositional perspectives in Turnquist’s repertoire continues to push him further into an unconventional area of acoustic music, but his progressive style and rapid development shows that he is just getting started. In the meantime, you can experience the track “Spherical Abberations” by streaming it above or downloading it here.


Tracklist For Hallway Of Mirrors:
01. Running Towards
02. Hallway Of Mirrors
03. Spherical Aberrations
04. Waiting At The Departure Gate
05. Running From