Kidwell, Rjyan

The ever-encroaching tide of economic inequality that has engulfed our planet stays steadily eroding the hearts of young people everywhere, for whom such forces are the most abstract, less the results of particular decisions made by particular men as they are an inescapable fate wrought by the mortal inadequacy of the preceding generation. The imminent American remake of the austerity measures that have ravaged the working people of Europe will no doubt be bigger & brasher in the true American style, and the shadow cast by the contemporary global robber barons will be all the darker for it. 
However, there is one light that refuses to be snuffed out-- one place where a man (or, on occasion, an exceptional woman) may succeed purely on merit & talent, like the American Dream of old. There is still one place where unique minds & sensitive souls are plucked from obscurity & lifted high to receive the accolades & security they truly deserve. If you do not know the place I speak of, ask any young person & they will tell you: the indie music scene. 
Every single day, stalwart guardians of culture like Pitchfork.com & Spin.com work diligently to mine the mountain of creative product made by the artists of America to unearth the best of the best, and bring the brightest shining gems to the surface. Because of these dedicated webjournalists, it is possible for one to catapult from a GarageBandTM -based bedroom studio to the stage of the biggest late night chat shows in the span of mere weeks-- and from there, onward & onward indefinitely, provided the artist continues to work hard & cleverly cultivate their brand. This meritocratic enclave is led by progressive record labels & perceptive publicity firms that use a combination of experience & intuition identify the most promising nascent talents & help them bring their creations to the largest audience possible. Every day brilliant new voices are added to the diverse & inspiring pantheon of contemporary music by a bustling coterie of web-journalists adept in using the most innovative & egalitarian forms of social media to find geniuses wherever they may be budding. The effect of these coordinated efforts is clear: young people save their money for months to pack festivals from coast to coast, where they commune together to be inspired by the remarkable artists that have captured the spirit of the struggle & joy of their generation. 
PROSPERITY, the new album by Rjyan Kidwell (and first to be released under his own name) is a paean to this great fortress of hope for the young people of America. With a collection of rich & evocative instrumental synthesizer compositions Kidwell eloquently describes the beauty & harmony of the great underground music community from the perspective of one who has participated as a fan, a music writer, a pioneering performer & a former prodigy who has come to recognized as one of the great electronic musicians of his time. Points of reference include the works of William Basinski, Steve Roach, and Brian Eno, as well as some of the more abstract, atmospheric black metal work of bands like Marblebog and Paysage d'Hiver.